Modern science is moving away from Michael Polanyi's vision of 'the Republic of Science' and gradually becoming subordinate to political and economic social institutions. This process is accompanied by changes in the normative structure of science. Poland provides an interesting case for empirical study of the scientific ethos mostly because in a relatively short time it experienced a significant reform of the science system, especially in terms of evaluating and financing scientific work. In this paper we examine whether different sets of values and norms are embedded into the normative structure of science in contemporary Poland. The results of a representative survey conducted among 801 researchers were examined with the use of confirmatory factor analysis and fuzzy clustering. The statistical analysis revealed a great complexity in the normative structure of science that goes beyond the expectations formulated on the basis of the theories reviewed. We identified three distinctive groups of researchers, guided by different sets of values and norms in their professional conduct (academic science, post-academic science and the industrial science) and a cluster of researchers with an unidentified system of principles. We argue that the complexity of the normative structure of science should be taken into account in the decision-making regarding any future reforms of the science system.
Współczesna nauka odchodzi od idei autonomicznej „republiki” Michaela Polanyi’ego (1962) i stopniowo podporządkowuje się instytucjom politycznym i ekonomiczno-społecznym. Procesowi temu towarzyszą zmiany w jej normatywnej strukturze. Polska, jako państwo z doświadczeniem transformacji ustrojowej, jest idealnym przypadkiem do studium ewolucji etosu nauki pod wpływem czynników rynkowych i politycznych. W artykule tym podejmujemy próbę odpowiedzi na pytanie o to, jakie wartości i normy są podzielane przez naukowców z Polski. Wyniki reprezentatywnego badania sondażowego przeprowadzonego wśród 801 naukowców przeanalizowano z wykorzystaniem konfirmacyjnej analizy czynnikowej i rozmytej analizy skupień. Analiza statystyczna pokazała dużą złożoność struktury normatywnej nauki, wykraczającą poza oczekiwania sformułowane w hipotezie, w oparciu o teorie Roberta Mertona i Johna Zimana. Wyróżniliśmy trzy odrębne grupy badaczy kierujące się w swoim życiu zawodowym różnymi zespołami wartości i norm (nauka akademicka, postakademicka i przemysłowa) oraz klaster badaczy o niezidentyfikowanym systemie zasad. Argumentujemy, że przy podejmowaniu decyzji dotyczących wszelkich przyszłych reform systemu należy brać pod uwagę złożoność normatywną i aksjologiczną nauki.
In the era of data-driven policies, there is a need to ensure that decision-makers and citizens alike have easy access to the highest quality data. In the creation of RAD-on: an information system comprising reports, analyses, and data on science and higher education in Poland, we have attempted to overcome barriers to decision-making in the field of research and innovation. The system presents open government data (OGD) on subjects that are relevant to science and innovation policy, including: the publication patterns of scientists and academics in Poland; graduates from Polish universities and their incomes; and data on research projects conducted in Poland and financed using national and international funds. RAD-on aims to ensure transparency and participation through interaction with its users and a methodologically coherent approach to data. In this article, we describe the complex architecture of the RAD-on system, and present its reporting capabilities. While doing so, we focus on the development process, which accounted for recent studies on the usability of open data. We address the problem of users’ understanding of the possibilities of the data platform, and outline our efforts to mitigate the risk of data being wrongly interpreted and used in decision-making processes.
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