OCIAL CIENCE RE EARCH COU CIL
VOLUME 37 . NUMBERS 2/3. EPTEMBER 1983 605 THIRD AVENUE. NEW YORK. .Y. 10158
Research Support and Intellectual Advance in the Social Sciences A symposium of views on the postwar history of the social sciences In the United States* Contents 33
Introduction
intellectual ba e, e tablished fir t by re earch fo tered in the prewar years by private foundation and later 35 The Role of the Private Foundation by the va t re earch enterprise upported by the fedMa~ hall Robin.ulII 39 The ational Science Foundation and the Social Science eral government and the military during the war. Henry W. Ri~clten After the war, the private foundation continued to 43 The Effect of ponsorship upon Social ience Research provide research upport for the ocial ciences, a Harory Broolu 46 Marshall Robinson makes clear in his paper, but inThe Role of TechnologicaJ Change in Social Science Research F. ThomasJwtn-and Roberta Balstad Miller crea ingly the federal government came to play an 4 Commentary: The Role Played by the" ational taff " to the Social important role in funding re earch and thu in hapScience Kenn~lh PrnAlill ing social cience priorities. Moreover, even when federal financial aid was extended without ob ervable trings attached, it was, at least in the ba ic cience INTRODUCTION agencie , offered on the basis of certain a umptions by Roberta Balstad Miller about the nature of the cientific method and the rationale of the re earch enterpri e. These a umpM . Miller, a historian, eroedJrom 1975 to 1981 as a tion are de cribed in the paper by Henry W. staff member oj the Council' Center Jor Coordination oj Riecken. The effect of government pon or hip on Re earch on Social Indicators in Washington, D.C. Since the content and nature of ocial cience re earch in 1981, he has been executive director oj the Consortium oj ocial Science Associations (COSSA), a Washington-based organization that repre ents the social sciences in their re• The papers included in this ympo ium are based upon prelationships to the Jederal government. sentation given at the meeting of the American A sociation for Roberta BalsuuJ Mill"
THE PAPER EXCERPTED HERE examine orne of the ways that re earch in the ocial cience has been affected by the nature and even the ources of reearch upport during the po twar period in the United State . The year following World War II were a time of rapid intellectual expansion of the ocial ciences and growing federal support for reearch. The impre ive ub tantive advance in the ocial cience at that time were built on a strong
the Advancement of Science, Detroit, Michigan, on Ma 27, 19 3. The ympo ium wa arranged and chaired by Roberta Bal tad Miller. For reason of pace, ub tantial deletion have been made in editing the paper for publication.
For contents oj this issue, see the box on page 34.
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