The Social Study of Science in Latin America

Abstract

Since World War II, scientific activity has grown significantly in Latin America, and with it there has been a modest development of the social study of science (SSS). This paper investigates the changing significance of the work of science planners and social thinkers with respect to the understanding of the social role of science in Latin America. On the basis of this study it is argued that, despite promising signs, institutional developments in SSS in Latin America are very fragile, and that the chances for their survival and success lie in their capacity to demonstrate their ability to bridge the `research gap' between academia, public decision-making and industry.

Internet practice and professional networks in Chilean science: Dependency or progress?

“…Moreover, the searchable databases for scientific literature have traditionally recognized only a few dissemination outlets available in the developing world [GIBBS, 1995;VOHORA & VOHORA, 2001;HOLMGREN & SCHNITZER, 2004] [GAILLARD, 1991;. Owing to lack of domestic support and perceptions of irrelevance, these scientists are often locally dislocated as well [SAGASTI, 1973;VESSURI, 1987;SAGASTI & AL., 2003]. They have readily been criticized for expressing 'Ivory Tower' aloofness.…”

“…This generally reflects the little work that has been done on scientific communities located in developing regions [VESSURI, 1987;SAGASTI & AL., 2003;. The studies that do consider contextual variations in the knowledge sector generally contradict the utopist assumption that Internet technology will benefit science regardless of geography or culture [ADAM & WOOD, 1999 [COSTA & MEADOWS, 2000], the results do not always coincide with those of their Northern counterparts.…”

“…In contrast, the 'disarticulated' scientist is outwardly connected through weak ties to research professionals located in foreign nations and thus enjoys the potential for new resources and information that typically travel through these pathways. But this group of scientists may be drawn more often than not into international collaborations, pursuing research that is 'cutting edge' in external research specialties, but not relevant locally [VESSURI, 1987;SAGASTI & AL., 2003]. Moreover, this group sacrifices the multiplex benefits of strong ties that are suggested to be more robust for transferring complex knowledge because these ties tend to be imbedded in a dense web of third party contacts [MURRAY & POOLMAN, 1982;HANSEN, 1999;REAGANS & MCEVILY, 2003].…”

The impact of the socio-economic crisis of 2001 on the scientific system of Argentina from the scientometric perspective

“…Various authors have explored the reasons for such scarce investment in science by Latin American administrations. Some associate it to the fairly recent development of scientific activity in the region -in Latin America, the processes geared towards the institutionalization of scientific activity and the establishment of governmental policies in this realm did not take root until after World War II (Vessuri, 1987). This hypothesis is less convincing if we look at countries such as Brazil, where the processes behind scientific institutionalization took place practically at the same time as in Argentina, or after, but investment in R&D reaches 1% of the GDP.…”

Detección y análisis de “clústers bibliográficos” en las publicaciones de Iberoamérica sobre ciencia, tecnología y sociedad (1970-2013)

“…En el ámbito concreto de la actividad científica de CTS en Iberoamérica, muchos estudios han contribuido a su definición y análisis (Vessuri, 1987;García et al, 2001;Vaccarezza, 2004;Arellano et al, 2011) y, en todos ellos, un elemento constitutivo de este ámbito es su multidisciplinariedad.…”