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

750 Eric Trist
I I. In the more advanced of the Eastern European countries the present dec-
ade has seen the introduction of a long-term planning horizon of twenty years in
addition to medium-term five-year and short-term annual plans. First attempts
are being made to develop long-range plans for science and to fit the social
sciences into this scheme. The planning of science as a social as well as a techni-
cal process is under study in several of the Academies. A more rigorous working
out of alternatives for the longer-run is held to improve the quality of medium-
term plans, which are becoming much more precise even in the field of science.
In Czechoslovakia a state plan for scientific research 1961-5 was worked out
by the Academy of Sciences, the State Commission for the Development and
Coordination of Science and Technology (SCDCST), the State Planning Commis-
sion and the Ministry of Finance.73 The plan was presented in terms of sixteen
‘Complex projects’, some of which represent directions of basic research, while
others are problem-oriented. Each complex project was divided into a number
of ‘fundamental projects’, of which there were 95 - in turn, divided into ‘main
problems’, of which there were 370. These constitute the basic planning units.
Work on a main problem is shared by several research establishments, each of
which tackles a ‘partial problem’. For each complex project a ‘collegium’ of
8-10 members is appointed, which is the appropriate collegium of the Academy
if the project is in an area of basic research. Otherwise, a new collegium is
created. If the project is more technological than scientific, the collegium will be
responsible to the SCDCS, though it may still be headed by an academician. Its
members include chairmen of its fundamental projects and others drawn from
appropriate academic, administrative and political fields. The collegium sees
that the political, economic and cultural objectives of the plan are attained and
appraises overall performance. For each fundamental project there is a more
expert body to evaluate and improve the quality of solution of the main prob-
lems comprising the fundamental project. It endeavours to keep these in step.
For each main problem a coordinator links the establishments concerned with
its execution and the council of the fundamental project.
12. Of the sixteen complex projects in the 1961-5 plan three are centred on
the social sciences:7’
a. The role of schools and education in the transition from socialism to com-
munism: - fundamental research in the psychology of learning and the
sociology of education ; a philosophical and sociological analysis of educa-
tional theory; problem-oriented research into methods of instruction and
curricula design, and on the relationship education, training and occupa-
tions, including studies of the biological and physiological aspects of work.
b. Conditions affecting the performance of the economy during the transition
from socialism to communism: - a variety of projects in theoretical, institu-
tional and applied economics; work in industrial sociology and organization
theory; a component concerned with the social function of science.
c. Social change and the cultural revolution during the gradual transition to
communism: - a mix of sociological, political and philosophical studies with
contributions from history and ethnology.