Money, money, money… in the world of academia: To the relation of financial means, academic structures and knowledge production

Abstract

Money plays a crucial role in science in many ways. Aspects of content in the context of everyday practice and scientific activity are also significantly influenced by financial means as well as funding conditions. The associated structures play a crucial role and can have a significant impact on work ethic and academic freedom of scientists. This particularly affects young researchers, as they are inferior to it in terms of both financial resources and decision-making power due to academic structures. Therefore, it is important to shed light on the role of money in academia and to reflect on the relation of conditions of financing, current academic structures, scientific work and knowledge production. To this end, a critical look at the related aspects will be taken. First, the question of why money is so important for scientific work and who is funded in the first place will be explored. Related to this is the question of how the exguidelines and existing circumstances contribute to the persistence of hierarchical structures in science and how this influences academic freedom and freedom of thinking. Finally, consequences for scientific practice will be discussed.