Military-industrial complexities, university research and neoliberal economy

Abstract

The article provides an analysis of the militarization of scientific research and the scale and consequences of military and defence-related research on university campuses in the United States and United Kingdom. It achieves this through an analysis of the historical background to the complex forms of articulation which have developed between the military, industry and university research. Particular consideration is given to developments in the United States from 1940, including concerns expressed about the impact of an expanding military-industrial complex on the conduct of research in universities. Drawing on critical social and historical research, the article analyses the relationship between universities and colleges and the institution of the military in the United States and the United Kingdom, the symbiotic relationship between neoliberalism and militarism, and, in addition, the consequences for the conduct of research in the natural sciences and the social sciences within universities.

Portugal’s Changing Defense Industry: Is the Triple Helix Model of Knowledge Society Replacing State Leadership Model?

“…There is an explicit involvement of the university and industry in the defense innovation system/industry [23,[63][64][65], which is underpinned by the following facts: (i) the US Department of Defense finances more than half the fundamental research outlays of universities; (ii) more than three-quarters of the budget of the Defense Advanced Research Projects-responsible for radical innovations-is devoted to industry; (iii) the partnerships promoted by the Ministry of Defense with thousands of innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); and (iv) funding shifted from universities to industry (especially, established vendors) and funds tied to go/no-go reviews linked to pre-defined deliverables.…”

“…In China, the techno-nationalist model of imitating technology emphasizes the role of the state and downplays market forces when it comes to developing local arms industries [67]. This is being challenged with the gradual but accelerating shift from imitation to indigenous innovation, in the pursuit of closing the gap with the West [58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68].…”

Sociology Engaged in Social Justice

“…Sociologists in opposition to such research programs argued that the military-industrial-academic complex was fraught with problems and was an imperialist attempt to control international policy while doing nothing to address social inequality and political alienation (Rohde 2013). The concern over universities’ involvement with military research radicalized many sociology graduate students at the time and continues today (Brown 1988; Smart 2016).…”

Making Global Policy

“…For instance, for many African states, their engagement with science diplomacy is 'as "consumers" rather than "producers" of knowledge and expertise' (Hornsby and Parshotam, 2018: 30;Šehović, 2017). Another long-standing concern, first voiced in a speech of US President Eisenhower, is the possible negative impact of an expanding military-industrial complex on the conduct of research in universities (Smart, 2016).…”