INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF HUMAN SUBJECT PROTECTION IN RESEARCH: A CASE STUDY OF ONE ACCELERATED UNIVERSITY IN KAZAKHSTAN
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Date
2025
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Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education
Abstract
This is a case study of the institutionalization of human subject protection in research at one newer university in Kazakhstan aspiring to become a globally recognized research university, Nazarbayev University. More specifically, this is a case study of how and why this new, highlyresourced "accelerated" research university institutionalized human research ethics policy in the Institutional Research Ethics Committee (IREC). An important context for the study is the rise of research universities in non-Western and developing world contexts and the recognition of the importance of creating institutional systems for the protection of human subjects in research that meet international norms. Thus, the study of this one unique case aims to shed light on drivers behind IREC creation in HEIs and understand how an IREC policy guided by international norms, standards, and values is being implemented and internalized in HEIs in these non- Western contexts. Approaching the study via a constructivist lens and drawing on key features of neo-institutional theory and comparative education theories, the study employed document analysis, interviews, and observations involving university leadership, IREC members, faculty and students to understand how and why IREC was developed during the 10 years since the university opened its doors. The study findings reveal that the IREC policy was implemented at Nazarbayev University primarily for purposes of legitimacy, specifically as means for opening doors to the global academic community for faculty research collaborations, publications and access to international research grants -- all of which would help to position the university as a
research university of global rank. Also, the study found that the implementation of the IREC policy unfolded in three developmental stages over the 10-year period, each stage emphasizing one of Scott's (2014) three institutionalization pillars describing distinct but overlapping rationales for legitimacy: Stage 1, normative rationale for IREC; Stage 2, regulative rationale for IREC; and Stage 3, cultural-cognitive rationale for IREC. Importantly, the cultural-cognitive rationale for IREC implementation emphasized the role of NU IREC policy as a valuable instrument of research capacity building across the wider higher education context in ways consistent with the university's mission to be a flagship for reform nationally and regionally. While this study of one unique case is not intended to be generalizable, the findings have value in discussions and debates of policy, practice, and research connected to newer research universities and existing universities in non-Western contexts seeking to position themselves as more globally recognized research institutions. The study also establishes the value of a theoretical framework combining Scott's (2014) neo-institutional theory with Phillips and Ochs (2006) policy-borrowing theoretical model in research on this topic.
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Keywords
Human Subject Protection, Type of access: Embargo, ResearInstitutional Research Ethics Committee (IREC)ch, Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Citation
Ispambetova, B. (2025). Institutionalization of Human Subject Protection in Research: A Case Study of One Accelerated University in Kazakhstan. Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education