Suchergebnisse

An Interdisciplinary Conference on International Understanding and Peaceful Co-operation, called by the social science division of UNESCO, was held in Prague, September 24–30, 1958. The approximately thirty social scientists present came from seventeen countries, including Egypt and Japan (which had not had representatives at previous meetings of the series). The Czechoslovakian National UNESCO Commission were hosts to the meeting, which was held in the Charles University.

A discussion of the state of the social sciences in Ireland, focusing on the disciplines of economics, sociology, & political science. It is noted that many of the associations related to the development of these disciplines span the whole of Ireland, although since 1922, partition has located the two parts of the country in different national identities. The situation of peripherality in relation to European developments is also noted. A brief account is given of the history of these disciplines in Ireland, their relation to society, the development of formal education, & the establishment of major institutes & other bodies to encourage research. A final comment deals with the emergence of professional associations within this small but active social science community. The lack of any state-supported body to support research in the social sciences is stressed. 1 Figure, 2 Appendixes, 14 References. Modified AA

"This volume is a one-of-a-kind contribution to applied social science and the product of a long collaboration between an established, interdisciplinary sociologist and a successful banking executive. Together, Neil Smelser and John Reed use a straightforward approach to presenting substantive social science knowledge and indicate its relevance and applicability to decision-making, problem-solving and policy-making. Among the areas presented are space-and-time coordinates of social life; cognition and bias; group and network effects; the role of sanctions; organizational dynamics; and macro-changes associated with economic development. Finally, the authors look at the big picture of why society at large demands and needs social-science knowledge, and how the academy actually supplies relevant knowledge."--

Social science was slow to diffuse into Pakistan, but by the 1970s a critique of Western positivist social science had developed. Without alternative epistemological foundations & theoretical frameworks, however, Pakistani social science is still limited to speculative analysis & fact-gathering & lacks creativity. Its objectivity suffers from the opposing tendencies to xenophilia & ethnocentrism. The locations of social science departments & statistics on social scientists in Pakistan are described, along with a continued reliance on imported social science knowledge, which has limited influences for local application & development. The absence of a cultural ethos & the conflict between religion & science impede the development of social science in Pakistan; other impediments noted are the overintegration of the Western tradition, restrictions on freedom, the low status accorded social scientists (except economists), & the lack of cohesion among the social-scientific body. 43 References. M. Pflum

All three of the books under review— Science and Social Science by Malcolm Williams, Rethinking Science by Jan Faye, and Open the Social Sciences by the members of the Gulbenkian Commission on the Restructuring of the Social Sciences (Immanuel Wallerstein, chair)—argue for a broadly naturalist approach in which the social sciences are seen as of a piece with the natural sciences. Fortunately, all three do so in a discriminating way that avoids simple options and that appreciates the important ways the social-scientific disciplines require their own approach. Open the Social Sciences in particular also contains detailed and wise advice as to how the contemporary social sciences should proceed if they want to fulfill their ambition to explain human social behavior in a scientific way.

Greenhouse gas removal (GGR) raises many cultural, ethical, legal, social, and political issues, yet in the growing area of GGR research, humanities and social sciences (HASS) research is often marginalized, constrained and depoliticised. This global dynamic is illustrated by an analysis of the UK GGR research programme. This dynamic matters for the knowledge produced and for its users. Without HASS contributions, too narrow a range of perspectives, futures and issues will be considered, undermining or overpromising the prospects for the responsible development of GGR (and threatening worse side-effects), and limiting our understanding of why and how policy demands GGR solutions in the first place. In response, we present policy principles for bringing HASS fully into GGR research, organized around three themes: (1) HASS-led GGR research, (2) Opening up GGR futures, and (3) The politics of GGR futures.