The Rule of Law as a Unifying Principle of Research Governance

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront multiple law-related questions, especially on whether public policies aligned with national, regional and international human rights standards. Equally important questions on legally-regulated Research Ethics and Research Integrity standards, however, were rarely addressed adequately in the public discourse, leading to a disassociation between researchers and the general public. Drawing from ongoing debates and existing literature in Law, the article illustrates why questions of Research Governance are of far broader relevance to society than initially anticipated. The article uses the COVID-19 experience as a case study towards considering the wider remit of public ethics when conducting research at times of global crises, by introducing the Rule of Law principle and drawing linkages between research governance and the associated values of legal certainty, predictability, transparency, reason-giving and accountability.