عنوان

Government policy and the direction of social science research.

TLets392801

Government policy and the direction of social science research.

[Thesis]

Donovan, Claire Angela.

University of Sussex

2002

Ph.D.

University of Sussex

2002

Using the UK Social Science Research Council (SSRC)lEconomic and Social ResearchCouncil (ESRC)l as a case study, this thesis tests the hypothesis that government funding ofsocial science research has altered research directions. Academics often assume a causal linkbetween government policy, ESRC-funded research and research directions but no adequateevidence has been presented to support this claim. As a senior ESRC figure puts it, 'Most ofthe people who say these things, even though they are social scientists, speak without lookingat very simple .... evidence that's publicly available.' This research examines this evidence indetail and draws upon extensive interviews with ESRC figures.Various governments have viewed social science as either the equivalent of, orinferior to, natural science. The ESRC has been caught in the middle of this conceptual andideological battle. An understanding of the history of social science in the UK ResearchCouncil system, and of the development of the disciplines of sociology and economics inparticular, is crucial in revealing how the Left and Right have confronted the idea of a'science of society' and the impact, if any, upon social science research via the ESRC.This thesis concludes that there is no evidence that government policy hasdeliberately been filtered through the ESRC in order to direct the social science researcheffort. There have, however, been indirect consequences of government funding socialSCIence through the Research Council system. An ex-ESRC Secretary explains thatgovernments do not understand what social science is so they support 'social science thatmakes sense to natural scientists', which is 'social science in the service of natural scienceand technology'. Through fear of budget cuts the ESRC never sought to correct this imageand has more recently strategically promoted this brand of social science to its advantage.This has led to a picture of the ESRC as positivistic and directive but, as an ex-committeesecretary says, this is 'more apparent than real'. A closer examination of the ESRC'srelationships with government, its research priorities and the secretariat's dealings withacademics reveals a very different day-to-day picture.

Donovan, Claire Angela.

University of Sussex

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y