Main trends of research in the social and human ... - unesdoc - Unesco

Problem-focused research 61 I
against slums, regional development, setting up of communications, modifica-
tion of formal structures in an industrial enterprise or an administration), it is
necessary to have exact knowledge of all the non-technical elements - human,
social, economic or political -which must be taken into account, and to foresee,
where necessary, the conditions to be observed if the change is to be carried out
without major difficulties. Of a piece with action, these studies represent prob-
lem-focused research in a much narrower sense: let us call it ‘narrowly-
focused research’.
This distinction allows of a better grasp of the relationship between problem-
focused research and basic theoretical research. In widely-focused studies, the
research workers may have little or no contact with the man of action, hence it
is open to them to develop their research in a relatively theoretical direction,
and this might be favoured by purely academic traditions and intellectual
environment. They are aware of the practical importance of the subject of their
studies, but only in a general way. They have a notion of it rather than apracti-
cal understanding of it, and this may be reflected in the result of their work: it is
sometimes presented in a theoretical and rather abstract form, in a scientific
vocabulary which is more or less a closed book to the potential users. We begin
with a social problem to which research is to be devoted; we end up with a
study which may turn out to be of basic theoretical importance, but which is
not necessarily of use or usable.
On the other hand, in narrowly-focused research the relations between
research workers and men of action are much closer, so that the former are
necessarily alive to the practical problems set by the latter. The fact that in
many cases both groups are working in the same institution, members of a
team in which the plan and the preparation of studies are under constant
review in accordance with the planning requirements and with decisions to be
taken, leads to research which can be translated into action much more quickly.
Here, although the research may be conducted very strictly as regards its
objectivity and the techniques used, purely theoretical concerns have less chance
of developing because of the pressure resulting from the need for action and for
keeping to prescribed timetables.
It is clear that the institutional framework plays an important part in the
distinction between these two forms of problem-focused research. The fact
that there are successive contracts, that the work is channelled into organiza-
tions concerned with management and application, normally leads to narrowly-
focused research. There are also the links and contacts institutionally provided
for between researchers and men of action. Finally there is the pressure for
action to be taken: urgent needs obliterate the time perspectives which are so
essential for theory.
Any instance of narrowly-focused research may serve to illustrate the
closeness of research to action. Area planning problems are an admirable
example of the type of research we have in mind.
Presenting ‘ekistics’, the science of the development of human settlements,
Iatradis describes an ideal model in which the work of specialists in various
social, economic and technological sciences is combined for specific action :