Ethics regulation and sociology in France

The French research ecosystem long resisted extending the ethics regulation processes established for biomedical science into the social sciences. This is now changing. This history of resistance is examined, together with the alternatives proposed. These include self-regulation by professional associations. Consideration is also given to the wider legal environment for French social sciences, particularly the laws on defamation and privacy, which also influence the opportunities for research and for the pursuit of grievances by participants. The introduction of ethics regulation, through IRB-style committees in universities and research organizations, reflects isomorphic pressures from the international research community, reinforced by the impact of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) on the application of national privacy law. Nevertheless, outside the specific domain of health-related research, ethics regulation still sits more lightly on French social science than in the anglosphere.