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

734 Eric Trist
ed to fundamental research. There were 125 research workers in France in
1964 - and others in other countries. It belongs to an international group of
eight organizations (mTR.4-International) which shares a common ‘Direc-
tion Scientifque’ with 21 research workers and publishes the journal METRA
as well as monographs.
b. CEGOS (Commission GknBrale #Organisation Scientifique) works on prob-
lems of plan evaluation, cost and efficiency criteria, the recruitment and
training of management, salary systems, etc. There were some 75 research
workers in 1964.
c. Groupe CFRO~SEDRE (Centre Franqais de Recherche Op6rationnelle et SociBt6
d’Etude du Dkeloppement et Rationalisation des Entreprises) works primarily
in applications of operational research and had 40 research workers
and 204 auxiliaries in 1966.
Though there are independent institutes which draw on psychology and sociology
rather than economics and operational research they are small and have
not made the same impact. The danger of ‘tunnel vision’ through over-emphasis
on econometrics, operational research and physical planning has been recognized
by DGRST which has begun to correct it. There is, however, no organization
in France or elsewhere in continental Europe corresponding to the Tavistock
Institute in London which emphasizes the psychological and sociological
aspects and has a psychiatric as well as an operational research unit in addition
to those centred on organizational studies.
28. Though all these developments in France have been within an ‘applied’
frame of reference, the level of work has not remained specific. If service has
been provided scientific knowledge has been advanced in econometrics, operational
research and the methodology of prediction. These innovations have been
taken up by more ‘academic’ institutions. Yet how quickly ‘development studies
as the cutting edge of applied social science in France can influence the structure
and orientation of university teaching remains problematic.
Financial support
29. For some countries no financial data were available on the level of support
for social research. For others figures were incomplete. It may be surmised that
support for the social sciences has been small compared with that for the natural
sciences, though the largest part of this latter is for technological development.164
In most countries of Western Europe R & D expenditure is rising faster
than ~ ~ p . ~ ~ 3 . ~ 6 5
Expenditure on the social sciences is also rising.16* During the
present decade, as compared with the fifties, it has been rising rapidly. Whether
it is rising more rapidly than that for the natural sciences when development is
screened out, as in the United States, cannot be ascertained, Given the even
narrower base from which they have started the likelihood is that a similar
acceleration is taking place at least in the countries where the social sciences are
most established.
30. These are the smaller countries of north-western Europe, such as the
Netherlands and Sweden, where the Riksbankfond supports long-range pro-
jects to the extent of $4 million a year. In the early sixties Sweden was spending