ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Panel 6 – social SCIENCEs
Partly the problem discussed above can be traced to the flat development
of external grants. The same holds true for the number of published
articles in refereed journals. Saying that does not mean that the staff
members are unproductive, quite the contrary, too much effort is laid
on publications that are not referee articles or scientific monographs. In
addition, it looks like this is a structural problem facing a much larger
community than Political Science department in Lund; however, it is not
an excuse.
Other signals from the department give a picture of cooperation and
synergy. One of these is the sub disciplines which are successfully encouraged
to collaborate in research projects and joint seminars. The decision
to eradicate the division between domestic politics and international
relations is wise as the border line between the domestic and the international
is blurred in the European Union. A separation of sub disciplines
may easily increase the risk of developing two or three mini departments,
which is a waste of resources. Also, in times of scarce resources such
an arrangement is vulnerable to conflicts about hiring and firing staff
members.
On the other hand, it looks like the research activity at the department
is scattered to a broad area of special interests. Academic freedom for the
university and its employees cannot be taken for granted; it is something
that must be actively guarded. It is therefore somewhat risky to propose
that the departments should encourage its staff to come more together as
an organisation of research and less act as a platform for individual interests.
The existing collaboration between sub disciplines could therefore
be further developed. Similarly seems the cooperation be well utilized
with other departments and research centres in Lund. A more organised
manner to perform research at the department including all types of staff
members could give more positive results in terms of individual publishing
and career making. This can well be done in cooperation with other
departments in Lund. In sum, the research activities of the department
grade very good.
Much hope and resources have been invested in the formatting of a propspective
Öresund region, bringing the neighbouring Danish and Swedish
regions together in order to become the leading region in Scandinavia.
More people than ever cross the bridge every day to live and work on
both sides of the connecting bridge. Many formal hinders have been
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