History and Past Activities
|
|
History and Past Activities |
Mercy Kamara et al
ESRC Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics, Lancaster University
COPING WITH THE CURRENT SCIENCE POLICIES: Scientists perspectives and experiences; and its implication to our understanding of scientific knowledge and the new regimes of knowledge production
The support and promotion of scientific research that is policy or socially “relevant”, indeed, tailor-made for “users” or “beneficiaries” in addition to the support and promotion of knowledge transfer and exploitation -- has slowly and surely become an explicitly articulated government policy in most if not all OECD countries (Hellström & Merle, 2005). This development is a culmination of a gradual transformation of science policy in these countries that can be traced back to the 1970s (Davenport, Leitch, & Arip, 2003). Substantial cuts in science and research expenditure, the promotion or legalisation of commercialisation, an entrepreneurial culture in and around public academic institutions, and the adoption of managerial ethos in public universities have, since then, rekindled an age old debate, e.g., between Michael Polanyi and Desmond Bernal; over the proper relationship between science and society and, indeed, about the governance of science (Ziman, 2000; Barke, 2003; Evans, 2002; Gibbons, et.al 1994; Boden, 2004; Etzkowitz, 1998).
By mapping UK scientists’ experiences and perspectives, the objective of this paper is to contribute to this growing debate by proposing an analysis and appreciation of the complex and complicated nature and effects of these transformations; the role and space of scientist(s), scientific communities or institutions as actor(s) in these transformations. The data presented in this paper forms part of a larger ESRC funded project: 'Plant Genomics, Commercialization and Environmental Knowledge: shifting cultures of scientific research' for which 28 open-ended interviews were carried out between August 2005 and January 2006 with UK plant or crop genomic scientists in various public universities and research institutes. The paper will argue that current science policies do not nurture sustainable and robust scientific practices or scientific community. This is largely because current policies exert unprecedented ‘non-scientific’ pressure on scientists which hinders their efforts and interest to pursue “the science” or to “keep the lab running”. In coping with this reality, scientists are adopting at least six strategies or “games” that they see as the only available routes if they are to pursue “the science”, “keep the lab running”, or avoid redundancy. Each route or “game” that the scientists are playing comes to shape or influence scientists’ experiences and perspectives on science policy, the practice of science itself, and the production of knowledge.
Sociology of Science and Technology NETwork - last update: April 2006