MOST. Why? What? How? Issues to be considered

Transcription

1 SHS-11/CONF.203/07b MOST2 review: findings and considerations Jorma Sipilä UNESCO, Joint IGC and SAC meeting November 25, MOST Why? What? How? Issues to be considered 2

2 Why? 3 How to organize a society? This is the human issue beyond compare How can societies provide human capabilities and minimize unfreedoms Chinese history as an extraordinary example of the importance of social organization To recognize social problems, their reasons, and possibilities of reform requires knowledge There is no democracy if citizens do not have the knowledge No sciences have more important knowledge on organizing the society than the social sciences Social conditions, problems, reasons, reforms the main reason behind [their] institutional success and growth in popularity has been their promise for socially useful knowledge (Papanagnou 2010) Access to valid knowledge supports making more sustainable politics 4

3 Obstacles to using social sciences for social reform The international structure of social sciences (World Social Science Report 2010, UNESCO/ISSC) Extreme unevenness: North Atlantic domination 93 % of SSCI-journals ja 90 % of their articles are European or North American, 94 % written in English 76 % of all social science publications are written in English Few researchers in developing countries The share of social sciences in R & D financing tends to be very low in countries that would need such knowledge most Knowledge and understanding is much more contextual than in sciences Knowledge produced in other times and spaces is often useless instrumental social science has not managed to establish any statistical, causal laws, valid across contexts. (Papanagnou 2010) North Atlantic domination and contextuality of knowledge do not match at all In the social sciences there is an exceptional multitude of approaches 5 More obstacles Researchers Necessity of academic success, generally low interest in serving the public Universities Organized for education, not for serving the society Research-based rankings as a new challenge Policy makers Questions and findings are appreciated if they fit particular political aims, thus, there are always acceptable and unbearable researchers In public, politicians must defend their policies Citizens General lack of time and interest, but there are exceptional times 6

4 UNESCO To overcome the obstacles mentioned, especially the bias in the global structure of social sciences, it is a great advantage if international organizations are involved governments are involved Thus, it is a particular advantage if inter-governmental organizations are involved It is sad that social sciences came so late into UNESCO s science programs It may also tell us about their political importance; they may even be frightful How to get the social sciences come alive in places where they are most needed? How to create scientific networks that serve researchers, citizens and policy makers in poor countries, overcoming the radical exclusion (your research is not interesting) and the radical inclusion (our research is universally important) (Keim 2010) MOST in the centre of expectations 7 What? 8

5 Praiseworthy strategic choices MOST knows why it is needed Support to the most basic activities that may improve the interaction and particularly to bring the fruits of social research to improve decision making MOST creates arenas for learning how to interact Participation of governments means potential for influence International discussions help listening also among the reluctant ones The importance of face-to-face meetings between researchers and politicians MOST searches for ways to balance the need and production of social research Breaking the North Atlantic domination Regionalism, multilingualism and direct access to research are all options for relevant interaction MOST studies the obstacles to fruitful interaction Making quality research on difficult issues MOST describes the condition of social sciences: what should we expect? Financing ISSC with creditable outcome: World Social Science Report How? 10

6 Achievements Ability to engage stuff and persons elected to positions of trust who are both capable and committed Exceptional consideration on strategies, guidelines and the too frequent evaluations Provision of several international events, which have increased understanding of the benefits of R-P -interaction Inclusion of NGO s strongly supports the openness highly esteemed by social researchers Functions to increase regional and national capacities Creation of an international authority that may support national aims to improve research, education and R-P interaction Multilingual Digital Library and the Online Policy Research Tool that is more than a database Support to the ISSJ and its successful outsourcing 11 Problems The majority of world social scientists do not know of MOST An outcome of the operational principles (regionalism, support to social research in developing countries) Notorious lack of money Too small database in the Online Policy Tool The tiny staff should be able to concentrate on the core matters and not on endless evaluations and reorientations Arranging events that are attractive both for researchers and politicians is not a bit easy Research-Policy linkage in itself only attracts few researchers and very few politicians. The utility of the linkage can be revealed in contexts that are important for a great number of citizens and researchers. 12

7 Issues to be considered 13 Questions to be discussed How to exploit the strength of UNESCO name and authority to the maximum? Should the researchers from rich countries be encouraged to take part in the programme? How can this happen without bringing the North Atlantic domination in? Organizing meetings is a heavy effort. Are there still other fora that MOST could rather join? Should MOST try to set in motion a global research programme on the research-policy linkage? Should economics be distinctively included in the programme? Should the role of the media in making the R-P linkage be distinctively included in the programme? Should learning and delivering skills on organizing effective encountering be included in the programme? 14

8 perseverance! Stones 15 on Jurmo 15 Island Epilogue Guidelines for using evaluations to destroy organizational effectiveness Suppose that all the outcomes are direct and short-term and that there are no indirect and long-term consequences Forget that the existence of the public services is justified by indirect consequences Bypass the particular function of the organization Assume that phenomena that are difficult to measure do not have any importance Compensate the lack of good indicators with bad indicators Demand changes in strategies, policies and leaders before they have implemented the former one Underrate the role of professional skills and ethics Knowledge is a stone base only if we understand the conditions of knowledge production, the nature of knowledge and the usability of knowledge in a particular case. 16