Originally designed to protect subjects of federally funded human research from physical harm, Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) have been hit with a barrage of unrelated mandates that impede their proper function and undermine legitimate and useful social science, science education, and freedom of inquiry. Despite a growing body of scholarly criticism, seasoned with IRB horror stories, the juggernaut continues.

Ronald F. White is professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Ethics at Mount St. Joseph University.
Bureaucracy and GovernmentEconomic PolicyEconomyGovernment and PoliticsGovernment PowerGovernment Waste/PorkPublic ChoiceRegulationThe Nanny State
Other Independent Review articles by Ronald F. White
Summer 2009 The Modern Health Care Maze: Development and Effects of the Four-Party System
Fall 2006 Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and the Demise of the Ideal Model of Health Care