The Science Policy Script, Revised

Elisio Macamo,Alexandra Hofmänner

doi:10.1007/s11024-020-09427-0

Abstract

The paper considers the notion of Science Policy from a postcolonial perspective. It examines the theoretical implications of the recent trend to include emerging and developing countries in international Science Policies by way of the case study of Switzerland. This country’s new international science policy instruments and measures have challenged the classical distinction between international scientific cooperation and development cooperation, with consequences on standards and evaluation criteria. The analysis reveals that the underlying assumptions of the concept of Science Policy perpetuate traditional asymmetries in the global political economy of science. The paper suggests that the present legacy of Science Policy institutions and practices needs to be transformed to reflect an increasingly diverse spectrum of scientific purposes and traditions. It offers a revised set of foundational assumptions on Science Policy and, more broadly, proposes a fresh point of entry for the field of Science & Technology Studies (STS) to contribute to the Science Policy discourse.

Highlights

STS and Science PolicyThe term Science Policy is ubiquitous: it brands government strategies and reports; entitles public agencies, permanent committees, offices of international organisations and initiatives; and labels university degree courses
The analysis has shown that the effective separation of international scientific cooperation and development cooperation in actual fact has served to engender the new domain of Science Policy, and its sister domain of Development Policy
An entire academic field has been dedicated to its study; since the early 1960s, Science Policy Studies scholars have continued to put forward theories and concepts to describe, analyse and compare Science Policies of countries across the globe

Summary

Introduction

The term Science Policy is ubiquitous: it brands government strategies and reports; entitles public agencies, permanent committees, offices of international organisations and initiatives; and labels university degree courses. New international Science Policy initiatives in Western Europe to expand international scientific cooperation and science diplomacy to emerging and developing countries have seen the light of day Their rationale rests on the notion of a new global political economy of knowledge, with shifting sites of scientific power and conditions for research. The interplay of national and international science was a key issue motivating a new separate domain of public policy Because of this vital link, it is important to examine the implications of the recent expansion of international Science Policy instruments and measures to emerging and developing countries on the very concept of Science Policy.

A Postcolonial Perspective on New International Science Policies in Switzerland

A New Science Policy Script