Bio-ethics and one health : a case study approach to building reflexive governance
Article [Version of Record]
Abstract(s)
Surveillance programs supporting the management of One Health issues such as
antibiotic resistance are complex systems in themselves. Designing ethical surveillance
systems is thus a complex task (retroactive and iterative), yet one that is also
complicated to implement and evaluate (e.g., sharing, collaboration, and governance).
The governance of health surveillance requires attention to ethical concerns about
data and knowledge (e.g., performance, trust, accountability, and transparency) and
empowerment ethics, also referred to as a form of responsible self-governance. Ethics
in reflexive governance operates as a systematic critical-thinking procedure that aims to
define its value: What are the “right” criteria to justify how to govern “good” actions for a
“better” future? The objective is to lay the foundations for a methodological framework
in empirical bioethics, the rudiments of which have been applied to a case study
to building reflexive governance in One Health. This ongoing critical thinking process
involves “mapping, framing, and shaping” the dynamics of interests and perspectives
that could jeopardize a “better” future. This paper proposes to hybridize methods to
combine insights from collective deliberation and expert evaluation through a reflexive
governance functioning as a community-based action-ethics methodology. The intention
is to empower individuals and associations in a dialogue with society, which operation
is carried out using a case study approach on data sharing systems. We based our
reasoning on a feasibility study conducted in Québec, Canada (2018–2021), envisioning
an antibiotic use surveillance program in animal health for 2023. Using the adaptive
cycle and governance techniques and perspectives, we synthesize an alternative
governance model rooted in the value of empowerment. The framework, depicted
as a new “research and design (R&D)” practice, is linking operation and innovation
by bridging the gap between Reflexive, Evaluative, and Deliberative reasonings and
by intellectualizing the management of democratizing critical thinking locally (collective
ethics) by recognizing its context (social ethics). Drawing on the literature in One Health
and sustainable development studies, this article describes how a communitarian and
pragmatic approach can broaden the vision of feasibility studies to ease collaboration
through public-private-academic partnerships. The result is a process that “reassembles”
the One Health paradigm under the perspective of global bioethics to create bridges
between the person and the ecosystem through pragmatic ethics.
Other location(s)
Collections
This document disseminated on Papyrus is the exclusive property of the copyright holders and is protected by the Copyright Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-42). It may be used for fair dealing and non-commercial purposes, for private study or research, criticism and review as provided by law. For any other use, written authorization from the copyright holders is required.