This chapter addresses the relationships between what have become dominant forms of knowledge and the policy this knowledge informs. It suggests that in both the conception and process of (policy) research, ethical issues construct the project, influence the findings and shape subsequent policies. This points to the inextricable links between ethics and epistemology (as well as between ethics, outputs and policy products). A research project embodies or antagonises dominant forms of knowledge; the choice between these alternatives, I suggest, is an ethical choice.

Policy also relates to forms of knowledge and how these are embodied in practices (Colebatch, 2002, p 20). Colebatch (2002, p 8) has noted that ‘“Policy” is a way of labelling thoughts about the way the world is and the way it might be, and of justifying practices and organizational arrangements …’ However, as he also points out, there are a range of ways of understanding the world and governmental policies draw attention to a particular way of understanding a (social) problem while, at the same time, obscuring or ignoring alternative ways of understanding the same phenomenon (Colebatch, 2002, p 19). As the editors of this volume have pointed out (Chapter One): ‘Policy provides the practical framework for the expression of political messages and the achievement of social goals. The use of policy as a governmental device is central in maintaining social, political and economic relationships.’ Being aware of the political nature of the framing of social issues in policy statements, and of the existence of alternative interpretations of social issues, leads to a consideration of the relationship between knowledge, interpretations, policy and ethics.

Generally, discussion of the relationship between ethics and policy concentrates on the ethical implications of particular courses of (policy-directed) action, and is usually illustrated with reference to morally contentious issues such as IVF or euthanasia. Little attention is given to the ethical implications of a particular epistemological standpoint. However, in order to develop these points, I will focus on research relating to the sexual offending of men. This area starkly highlights the problems involved in both conceptualising and conducting research that seeks to inform policy aimed at protecting the public. As shown later in the chapter, most men who are convicted of sex offences are only convicted on one occasion.