Coevolution between institutions and scientific organizations: The case of IMPA

Abstract

In this study, the properties of coevolution were analysed and presented as a promising avenue to investigate the interaction between institutions and scientific organizations, which has implications for the development of scientific fields and public scientific policies. These properties were used to analyse the interaction between the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) and national and international institutions from 1951 to 2019. The findings reveal that if an area of knowledge is weak in a country, it can develop through different institutional actions by interested parties such as researchers. The institutional agency of IMPA researchers has functioned as an element that feeds coevolutionary dynamics. This dynamic has caused changes in the IMPA (micro-level), scientific community (meso-level), and governmental institutions and civil society (macro-level). This study’s main contribution is the cross-fertilization of coevolution with the agency approach of institutional theory.