Research Cooperation As a Form of Foreign Aid: What, Why, And
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Aiding science: Swedish research aid policy 1973-2008 Veronica Brodén Gyberg Linköping Studies in Arts and Science • No. 594 The Department of Thematic Studies – Technology and Social Change Linköping 2013 1 Linköping Studies in Arts and Science • No. 594 At the Faculty of Arts and Science at Linköping University, research and doctoral studies are carried out within broad problem areas. Research is organized in interdisciplinary research environments and doctoral studies mainly in graduate schools. Jointly, they publish the series Linköping Studies in Arts and Science. This thesis comes from The Department of Thematic Studies – Technology and Social Change. Distributed by: The Department of Thematic Studies – Technology and Social Change Linköping University 581 83 Veronica Brodén Gyberg Aiding science. Swedish research aid policy 1973-2008 Edition 1:1 ISBN 978-91-7519-481-3 ISSN 0282-9800 © Veronica Brodén Gyberg The Department of Thematic Studies – Technology and Social Change 2013 Printed by: LiU-tryck, Linköping 2013 Cover by: LiU-tryck (photo by Olle Edqvist) The photo collages are made up of images from Sarec’s annual reports 2 Table of contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................6 1. Introduction and background ..............................................................8 The object of study: Swedish research aid policy ....................................................................... 10 Purpose, research questions and delimitations ........................................................................... 13 Outline of the book .................................................................................................................................. 14 Background - aiding scientific research .......................................................................................... 15 Changes in research ........................................................................................................................... 17 Theories about science (technology) and policy .................................................................... 19 Changes in foreign aid ....................................................................................................................... 24 Theories about development ......................................................................................................... 27 Research and aid coming together ............................................................................................... 32 Research aid - symptomatic of the “knowledge society?” ................................................... 34 A glimpse into the practice of research aid ................................................................................... 36 A note on capacity development ................................................................................................... 37 Other central terminology ............................................................................................................... 40 2. Theoretical perspectives .................................................................... 41 Framing the construction of research aid- theories of discourse ......................................... 42 Discourse according to Foucault ................................................................................................... 43 Fairclough’s take on discourse ...................................................................................................... 47 Discourses and imaginaries ............................................................................................................ 50 Taking a critical post-structuralist stance ................................................................................. 52 Science and Technology Studies and colonialism(s) ................................................................. 55 Boundary organizations - enabling science for development? .............................................. 61 Summarizing key theoretical assumptions and concepts ........................................................ 64 Some ethical considerations ................................................................................................................ 65 3. Methods and materials ........................................................................ 68 Doing discourse analysis....................................................................................................................... 68 Material ........................................................................................................................................................ 70 The documents ..................................................................................................................................... 70 The interviews ..................................................................................................................................... 74 Working with the material ................................................................................................................... 78 Identifying discourses ............................................................................................................................ 80 The order, structure and contents of the empirical chapters ................................................. 82 Validity ......................................................................................................................................................... 82 4. Previous research ................................................................................. 84 Foreign aid: wanted dead or alive? Questioning aid efficiency ............................................. 86 Research aid: some general trends in the literature .................................................................. 90 Unclear links and assumptions........................................................................................................... 92 Conflicting goals and agendas ........................................................................................................ 93 3 Mutually beneficial cooperation or neocolonial science? ................................................... 95 Research on Sarec ..................................................................................................................................100 Concluding reflections and the contribution of this study ....................................................106 5. 1973-1979: Tracing foundations .................................................. 109 Swedish research-related aid before Sarec: setting the scene .............................................111 Research for Development – the 1973 investigation report ................................................112 Redefining central concepts..........................................................................................................112 The organization-to-be ...................................................................................................................118 Economists protest. A battle to define the problem and its solution. ..........................121 Sarec takes form .....................................................................................................................................124 Interpreting the task. The first annual reports. ....................................................................124 Modes of support: old and new priorities ...............................................................................127 Renewed economist protest .........................................................................................................131 From research to development through aid ...............................................................................133 Sarec as the context-sensitive and emancipatory donor ...................................................133 Sarec as a temporary provider of priorities and expertise ...............................................135 The boundary organization’s conundrum ...............................................................................135 Concluding discussion: discourses and tensions between them ........................................136 Entering an independent phase .......................................................................................................138 6. 1981-1990: Settling in and becoming pragmatic .................... 141 Attempting to construct a more pragmatic and concise task ...............................................143 The 10 year evaluation: questioning models and measures ................................................144 Evolving modes of support and priorities ...................................................................................146 The battle to define development problems and their solutions. Part 2: converging ideas? .....................................................................................................................................................152 Bilateral cooperation as a way to build national capacity ................................................154 Essential versus luxury research .....................................................................................................155 The critical and context-sensitive aid actor ................................................................................158 Questioning