The Political Economy of Social Science Funding
In: Sociological inquiry: the quarterly journal of the International Sociology Honor Society, Band 54, Heft 2, S. 154-170
ISSN: 1475-682X
This article examines recent economic and political trends constraining the production of social science knowledge. Particular attention is given to the Reagan Administration's attempt to contract public sector programs and curtail financial support for social science research. Trends in the private economy, especially within the publishing industry, that affect the production of social science knowledge are also discussed. Over the past few years, the market for social science knowledge has seriously eroded. The erosion of this market is examined within the larger framework of a shift in public policy from legitimation to capital accumulation, a shift that has accompanied right‐wing ascendancy in American politics. This shift has created political and economic incentives encouraging the social science community to align more closely with conservatives.