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

The organization and financing of research 699
in the future? Evidence is accruing that these traditions are being forced out of
their accustomed moulds to meet the demands being placed on the social
sciences to contribute to the understanding and solution of major social prob-
lems. This situation creates great opportunities and great dangeis. A radical
re-appraisal is required. The present chapter wil examine the organization of
the social sciences from the point of view of capability to meet the increasing
demand for their use - but on the hypothesis that greater acceptance of a ‘field
determination’ of problems -especially when these are of a generic kind - wil
provide the most likely means of speeding up their intrinsic growth and theoret-
ical devolopment.
Part two: Survey of country groupings
11. CURRENT TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES*
Social science becomes big science
I. In view of its size this review of trends in the United States wil begin by
considering the resource base. Compared with any other country, the resources
expended on the social sciences in the us are enormous: whether in terms of
money; in number of research workers, teachers and students; in the volume,
variety and scale of projects; or of equipment and other facilities. Costs also
far exceed those elsewhere which increases the difficulty of international com-
parison.
2. No estimate of the total resources employed has been published. For
research alone a much disputed estimate (for all as distinct from simply government
sources) was made by the American Behavioral Scientist for 1961.‘~ This,
recently superseded by the BASS Survey,z3 was regarded as having been too high
(see footnote below**). From an analysis of current trends and from information
* The author is much indebted to Dr. Henry Riecken of the Behavioral Science Sur-
vey 23.28 for commenting on the American material and for allowing him to seeprovisional
statistics not yet for publication.
** UNITED STATES. Estimated support for scientific research by source of support and
jield of science (1961) (in $ millions)
(Provisional figures compiled by the American Behavioral Scientist.)
Source of Total % Natural % Social %
support science science
Government
Federal 9,000 57 8,790 58 210 32
Other 580 4 500 3 80 I2
Business 4,400 28 4,250 28 150 23
Universities
and colleges
Foundations
1,800
45
I1
-
1,600
33
I1
-
200
I2
31
2
Total 15,825 IO0 15,173 IO0 652 IO0
These figures include large sums (I) for routine data collection in the contributions