INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARDS, REGULATORY INCENTIVES, AND SOME MODEST PROPOSALS FOR REFORM.

The article discusses the challenges posed by Institutional Review Boards (IRB) on social science research. The institutions have the authority to oppose proposed research that is federally funded or otherwise subject to an institution's own guidelines. The author mentions that due to the self-censorship in which researchers now engage, truly cutting-edge and controversial research of the kind that runs a genuine risk of opposition, especially on sensitive issues, probably gets proposed less often than it would in the absence of IRB review.