The policy of science, technology and innovation and the return of the state: 2007-2010, years of instability

Abstract

This article analyzes the implementation process of the Ecuadorian science, technology and innovation policy (PCTI) within the framework of the beginning of the post-neoliberal period, which implied the strengthening of the State and the insertion of the paradigm of buen vivir. For this purpose, the novel elements in the definition of this policy under the framework of buen vivir are described as an introductory note. Then, the complex construction process of the explicit PCTI during these years is reviewed. Finally, the instruments implemented and their relationship with the definition of PCTI are analyzed. To this end, the concepts of explicit scientific policy and implicit scientific policy of Herrera [1] and the notion of scientific-technological paradigm of Velho [2] are used. The chosen approach is framed in the new institutionalism that understands the definition and implementation of the PCTI as the result of the strategic game of the actors involved in these processes. This case study uses investigation of historical archives, documentary analysis and in-depth interviews with relevant actors. It is found that the PCTI during these years was unstable, as there were several short-term policy documents, and that its implementation was far from the ambitious rhetoric and the major objectives, limited to two instruments: international postgraduate scholarships and financing of research and development projects.