Suchergebnisse

Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction / Charles Frankel -- The Autonomy of the Social Sciences / Charles Frankel -- The Role of Values in Social Science Research / Nicholas Rescher -- The Reward System of the Social Sciences / Jonathan R. Cole and Stephen Cole -- The Ideal of Objectivity among American Social Scientists in the Era of Professionalization, 1876-1916 / Hugh Hawkins -- Max Weber and the Roots of Academic Freedom / Robert Nisbet -- Five Decades of Public Controversy Over Mental Testing / Lee J. Cronbach

It has been argued that social science disciplines influence their members policy research via theoretical focus, methods, norms, and system maintenance mechanisms and that these forces inhibit the usefulness of policy research for policy‐making. Political science is found to influence substantially its members policy research output and to decrease its policy usefulness, primarily by promoting explanations of policy, although the extent of influence and lack of usefulness are less than studies of other disciplines suggest. Whereas highly useful outcome analyses are produced less frequently than many advocates of policy research would hope, a sub‐stantial body of policy research undertakes objectives that when satisfied, particularly in the area of problem definition, provide moderately useful output to decision makers. In addition, policy research output is remarkably diverse substantively, but less so in terms of the purposes it serves.

Presents a model of discipline-dominated policy research within political science. Given its tradition of inquiry, methods and norms, a constricted focus for policy research follows. (PFB)

THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES THE SOCIAL SCIENCE INFORMATION SERVICE. THE SERVICE'S HISTORY, MODE OF OPERATION, UNIQUENESS, RECENT AND PROPOSED ACTIVITIES ARE DISCUSSED. THE SERVICE SEEKS TO INFORM LEGISLATORS AND THEIR STAFFS AS TO THE LIKELY SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF VARIOUS LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS WHERE THERE IS APPLICABLE EVIDENCE FROM SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH.