Mapping Social Sciences Research in South Africa A report submitted by the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) at Stellenbosch University Part II: The Political Economy of Social Sciences Research in South Africa 20 August 2014 This report and associated publications were commissioned and produced using funding from DFID. However, the views expressed are those of the independent academic authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of DFID CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2 History of social sciences research in South Africa ................................................................ 9 2.1. Toward a political economy of social science research in South Africa ....................................... 9 2.2. Development: 1910-1948 ............................................................................................................. 9 The institutionalisation of South African social science ................................................................ 10 2.3. Consolidation and Isolation: 1948-1994 .................................................................................... 12 The growing isolation of the social sciences during the apartheid years ..................................... 13 2.4. Interregnum: 1990 – 1994 .......................................................................................................... 16 2.5.Reconfiguration: 1994 going forward ......................................................................................... 17 Synthesis ........................................................................................................................................ 19 The social sciences in post-apartheid South Africa: Breaking the shackles of isolation ................ 20 Chapter 3 The current state of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research in South Africa ............ 24 A crisis in the Humanities and Social Sciences? ............................................................................. 24 A response ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Trends in Sociology ........................................................................................................................ 26 Political science.............................................................................................................................. 27 Geography ..................................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 4 Primary enablers to doing social sciences research in South Africa .................................... 29 4.1. Policy and framework ................................................................................................................. 29 4.2. Human capital pool .................................................................................................................... 29 4.3. Knowledge infrastructure ........................................................................................................... 31 4.4.Funding ........................................................................................................................................ 32 Chapter 5 The major barriers to doing social science research in South Africa ................................... 34 5.1. Insufficient funding .................................................................................................................... 35 5.1.1. Insufficient support from government, funding agencies and policy ........................... 36 5.2. Value(ing) of the social sciences............................................................................................ 37 5.3. A stagnant intellectual culture .............................................................................................. 37 5.4. Methodological challenges.................................................................................................... 38 5.5. Modes of knowledge production .......................................................................................... 39 5.5.1. The tension between fundamental and applied research ............................................ 39 5.5.2. Doing Interdisciplinary Research ................................................................................... 40 5.6. General themes ..................................................................................................................... 41 The next generation ...................................................................................................................... 42 Lack of capacity ............................................................................................................................. 42 Quality PhD students ..................................................................................................................... 43 Funding for PhDs ........................................................................................................................... 43 Chapter 6 Partnerships with UK institutions and non-UK institutions .................................................. 46 6.1. Bibliometric analysis on collaboration ....................................................................................... 46 6.2. Survey and interview results on collaboration/partnerships ..................................................... 52 Chapter 7 Recommendations and Final Conclusions ............................................................................ 54 References ............................................................................................................................................. 56 Appendix 1 Additional Figures and Tables ............................................................................................ 59 Appendix 2 Additional Quotes .............................................................................................................. 63 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1 Polity, economy. science and society, South Africa post 1910 ............................................................... 20 Figure 2 Trends in scientific collaboration as measured by co-authorship; 1995-2007 (Economics and Management Services).......................................................................................................................................... 21 Figure 3 Trends in scientific collaboration as measured by co-authorship; 1995-2007 (Education) .................... 21 Figure 4 Trends in scientific collaboration as measured by co-authorship; 1995-2007 (Psychology) .................. 22 Figure 5 Trends in scientific collaboration as measured by co-authorship; 1995-2007 (Sociology, anthropology & related studies) ..................................................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 6 Trends in scientific collaboration as measured by co-authorship; 1995-2007 (Other Social Sciences) .. 22 Figure 7 Trends in scientific co-authorship; 1995-2007 ........................................................................................ 23 Figure 8 Percentage of academics in HSS in South Africa ..................................................................................... 30 Figure 9 Average shares of the doctoral graduates in the various fields of study, 1996 to 2012 ......................... 30 Figure 10 R&D expenditure by major research field (percentage) in South Africa (2001/2 to 2010/11) ............. 33 Figure 11 The state of social sciences in South Africa ........................................................................................... 34 Figure 12 Opinion on the state of social sciences in South Africa by discipline (individual researchers) ............. 34 Figure 13 Respondents opinion on funding allocated to the Social Sciences ....................................................... 35 Figure 14 Government support for the social sciences in South Africa ................................................................ 36 Figure 15 Percentage of South African-affiliated articles in the social sciences that involve international co- authorship, by five-year period, 1993-2012 ......................................................................................................... 46 Figure 16 Percentage of articles in the social sciences involving sub-Saharan African (SSA) co-authorship, by five-year period, 1993-2012 .................................................................................................................................. 48 Figure 17 Percentage of articles in the social sciences involving UK co-authorship, by five-year period, 1993- 2012 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 50 Figure 18 Collaboration and partnerships of research centres in South Africa .................................................... 52 Figure 19 The research focus of research centres and individual researchers within the social sciences ........... 53 Figure 20 Reasons given for the unsatisfactory state of the social sciences in South Africa – social sciences researchers...........................................................................................................................................................