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

The organization and jinancing of research 729
Institutes in or associated with universities
12. Organized research units in or associated with universities, though distinct
from teaching departments, are found in all Western European countries.
In Italy almost every teaching department in the social sciences has a parallel
research institute financed either by the university or by public or private
organizations.69 The Consiglio Nationale della Ricerche (CNR) has been giving
kancial aid in growing measure. Sometimes a research project is conducted by
a single institute, at others by various institutes in collaboration. The CNR
accepts programmes submitted both by institutes and by individuals. The
Comitato per le Scienze Economiche, Sociologiche e Statistiche (CSESS) does the
screening. The Ministry of Public Education also makes financial contributions.
Though fundamental research predominates in the universities and nonacademic
units concentrate on applied research, the universities, too, conduct
problem-oriented research, while theoretical themes are studied in the other
centres. In a system of higher education not differentiating between a first and a
second degree some form of protection for research would be essential. Notable
features are that 54% of the funds allocated by the CSESS in 1965 were for ‘collective’
research, 66% going to university institutes; 44% were for projects of
an interdisciplinary nature as well as being group enterprises.
13. In France we must separate the university and the Grands Etablissements
and such related bodies as the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
(cNRs).~~ Though social research goes on at all French universities, the 1964
report of the DClCgation GCnCrale i la Recherche Scientifique et Technique
(DGRST) brings out its small scale and precarious nature.47 For the University
of Paris only 12 research centres were listed for all branches of the social sciences.
Of these only three had IO or more full-time research workers and only two
between 5 and 9. Among the fourteen provincial universities there were 56
centres, of which only two had IO or more and only five between 5 and g full-time
research workers. Of the remaining 49 quite a number were operating with only
part-time personnel. Auxiliary staff were even more scarce than research workers.
Some progress has since been made in improving the university situation.
14. Since 1960 a major effort has been put under way to expand the capability
for advanced study and research in the Grands Etablissements/cNRs. The Third
Section (natural sciences) of the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) now
includes three psychological laboratories and a centre for anthropological
research which relates physical to social anthropology. The Sixth Section
(economic and social sciences) has developed four Divisions: economic and
social history (3 centres); sociology, social anthropology and social psychology
(13 centres); economics (4 centres) and area studies (IO centres.)50 The Centre
de MathCmatique Sociale et de Statistique and the Laboratoire de Cartographie
are common to all Divisions. In addition to the EPHE, social research proceeds at
other Grands Etablissements such as the Conservatoire National des Arts et
MCtiers (4 centres) ; the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques (3 centres);
the Centre International $Etudes Pedagogiques de Sevres (I centre); and the
Institut PCdagogique National (2 centres). Although a Chair of Anthropology
was established in 1958 at the Collkge de France, held by Claude LCvi-Strauss,