Ethics Framework and Guidelines:

Table of Contents

Ethics Framework and Guidelines »List of Abbreviations »Preamble »Introduction »
Part I: General Consideration »On ethics »General considerations on ethics »Ethical assessment procedures and the ethics review »On participation »General considerations on participatory practices »Experiences with the ethics framework »
Part II: Tools & Guidelines »A. How should participatory processes be structured? »B. Which type of activity is targeted by the participatory process? »C. Which types of participants are targeted? »D. What are ethical issues and risks? »E. How can equal and meaningful dialogue be fostered? »F. How should participatory processes be monitored & reflected upon? »
Glossary »EC Reference Documents »Endnotes »

C. Which types of participants are targeted?

ACTION C1: Determine which stakeholders to engage and why, followed by interlinking the participatory process, context, and stakeholder types

It is important to understand which stakeholders it might be important to involve in a process, and why. This could mean including stakeholders affected by, or with, specific knowledge or experience of an issue, and considering the specific role and relative power stakeholders have within a system or process. It also entails a broader reflection on aspects such as gender, age, socio-economic background, dis/ability, geographic location, as well as stakeholders’ proximity to the R&I process. These specifications allow for a better understanding of the field and the identification of groups that may have been overlooked. It also helps to understand the potential needs of participants to meaningfully take part in a process. Mapping potential stakeholders and their interests ensures that the type of participatory process appropriately addresses both the context and the stakeholders involved²⁶. Consider what type of representation is needed to obtain the desired contribution. For instance, do participants need to reflect the diversity of society, or should the process focus on specific stakeholders? As an example, matters of representation become important when interested in specific user groups or marginalized stakeholders.

SHOWCASE

FFG used an online survey to broadly consult people living in Austria in the definition of topics for a specific funding call focused on health topics, climate change, demographic change, and ICT solutions. As these topics impact all Austrian residents to some degree, FFG chose to make the survey openly accessible to all. They recruited participants through internal and external efforts and promoted the survey through multiplier organizations and through their newsletters. FFG learned that recruitment efforts benefit from organizational and financial flexibility as a number of surprises and additional costs emerged. This included much richer qualitative inputs than expected, but also significant self-selection bias impacting the make-up of the participant group.

ACTION C2: Determine how participants should be recruited, taking into account stakeholder representation, selection bias, and feasibility

After potential participants have been identified, it is important to consider how they should be recruited, taking into account stakeholder representation, selection bias, and feasibility. Identification and recruitment of participants often takes more time and investment than anticipated and may become a prolonged, iterative process in more lengthy participatory endeavors. Reflect on the benefits and drawbacks of different recruitment techniques (e.g. feasibility versus selection biases), and target your approach based on stakeholders’ specific needs as identified in C1. While recruitment can be challenging, stakeholders are more inclined to participate if the process is in their interests. Timing can be a decisive factor. Consider, for instance, whether holidays or other factors may restrict a participant group’s involvement. Possible recruitment techniques include:

• Existing organizational networks: The organizer’s existing stakeholder network provides an opportunity to recruit participants. Stakeholders can, for example, be contacted through social media or newsletters.
• Snowballing techniques: Asking participants for referrals to other potential participants can enlarge the existing pool of participants.
• External recruiters: Recruitment can be outsourced to experienced parties. Make sure that recruiters are sensitive to ethical issues relating to stakeholder participation.
• Multiplier partners: External partners, such as municipalities, intermediaries, and influencers, can help recruitment efforts by providing access to their stakeholder network. Persuading these multipliers to collaborate tends to be easier when they share similar interests with the participatory process.