Private Research Organizations Research Articles

Research Support for Continuing Education

T may not be possible to state the relationship between research and education better and more sharply than to quote B. F. Stanton [14]: Continuing education should be based on scholarship and Stanton, in his paper, develops a logical basis for this statement. In addition, his statement is supported (at least indirectly) by empirical evidence [9, 16] which seems to indicate that education and research go hand in hand in improving farm income and in increasing returns to human capital. Empirical evidence in Table 1 also is such that the hypothesis, continuing education should be based on scholarship and cannot be rejected.' What this table shows is that extension education efforts are distributed over the various problem areas similar to that of research efforts, although the so-called people seem to receive more attention by extension than they do by research. Thus, in addition to supporting the contention that education be based on research and scholarship, Table 1 also suggests that particularly in the people-oriented problem areas, education may tend to lead research. Understanding that education can direct research to significant problems should be of particular importance to the social scientist. On the other hand, it should be understood that a good researcher in any discipline will often anticipate important problems before they are recognized by the public. Thus, the challenge for research lies in appropriately assessing the signals received from education and balancing them against research interests generated by research staff. It is necessary to point out that the total mission of research is considerably broader than the support of education. While support of education may be a very important -maybe even the most important-dimension, it is not the only research dimension. This is true regardless of whether we consider public or privately financed research, and it is true regardless of whether we consider public or private research organizations, both of which may work with either public or private funds. Other dimensions of the total research mission, particularly in publicly funded universities, include the support of classroom teaching. In addition, in more recent years we could observe a trend on the part of publicly funded research agencies toward accepting projects or contracts of an action-oriented, problem-solving nature. Such contracts may involve the establishment of educational research institutions (both here and abroad), the execution of feasibility studies (e.g., river basin development, plant location), the assistance with planning in ministries of commerce, agriculture, and education, etc. Still another dimension is the execution of contract research for either private or public organizations where the intended use of the research results is within the contract letting agency. This list of different dimensions of the total research mission is not intended to be exhaustive (the role of basic research has not even been mentioned!), but it is sufficient to make the point that education is not the only client to research. To be sure, important relationships and varying degrees of complementarity exist between the various research dimensions and education. However, not all research has as its goal the support of education. The discussion below must be viewed in this light rather than as a comprehensive discussion of research needs.

Accessibility of Government-Sponsored Research in International Studies

The principal reason to be concerned about the accessibility of information about government-sponsored research in international studies is that new research by individuals and groups cannot be adequately planned without information about the relevant research that is already completed and in progress. Each Ph.D. candidate in selecting a dissertation topic must know not only what has been published on his proposed subject but also what research is currently in progress, and the problem is not essentially different for advanced scholars and large-scale research projects.' Our particular concern here is with the accessibility of government-sponsored research, but this must be seen in the larger context of other research in this field. The government sector includes not only government-sponsored extramural research, but also intramural government research. The private sector includes Ph.D. dissertations, research by individuals, and group research by a wide range of university and other private research organizations. A few remarks should be made at this point about the question of accessibility in the spheres other than government-sponsored research, even though they have not been especially examined for the purposes of this paper. Intramural government research is conducted principally by the government agencies specializing in international

Labor Statistics for National Decision Making

The Secretary of Labor starts with certain advantages in the field of research and statistics. Included in the Department is the 85-year old Bureau of Labor Statistics, long preeminient in developing current economic data on wages, prices, employment, and many other critical dimensions of economic and social performance. Indeed, the BLS antedates the Department itself, which only goes to show that our forefathers put first things first! In addition, nowadays, other parts of the Department-the Manpower Administration primarily, but also a number of other program and staff units-engage in research or statistical activities related to ongoing programs. Government has assumed many additional functions over the past few decades. The Labor Department is no exception. Many of the new governmental program activities are carried on at the State and local level, and the Administration is making a serious effort to enhance the decision-making power of the State and local governments and regional offices of the Federal Government. If this decision-making process-Federal, State, and local-is to merit the confidence of the country, it must be based on the most competent and objective evaluation of all available evidence. Citizens have a right to expect that their government will not only base decisions on the best available evidence, but also incorporate into the governmental decision-making machinery an effective system for assuring that the pertinent information becomes available when needed. Much of this information is statistical, and to be effective it must be relevant, timely, accurate, and impartially developed and presented. Tonight I shall address myself to government's need for statistics. There is also, of course, a vital need for statistics for private use, by individuals, labor unions, business firms, research organizations, university faculties, and others. The government's statistical program must be cognizant of all these needs. Fortunately, in most instances there is no conflict between the private and government needs for statistics. The content and quality suitable to the one is also suited to the other. But neither need can be neglected at the expense of the other. In the early months of my new position, I have been struck by the many different ways in which our basic research and statistical work interacts with the Department's basic operating programs. One of the goals I have set for myself is to strengthen this interaction so that -the two types of programs, the analytical and the operating, can work more effectively together, each providing close support to the other. This will be the theme of my remarks here tonight and I will try to suggest how this can be done. Let me explain and illustrate the different types of interaction I have in mind. In the first place, basic economic statistics are often critical in planning new Government programs. A recent example is the economic analysis that was undertaken in connection with the President's new proposal for a systein of family assistance payments and related work incentives. Evaluation of alternative proposals involved a close interaction between, on the one hand, statistical data dealing with the distribution of income and consumer expenditures and, on the other hand, program data dealing with the current costs of Federal and State welfare and training programs. Of particular concern was the potential effects of family assistance payments on incentives to work. Statistical analysis of family budgets and other data helped us to make a more realistic appraisal of this problem. The unemployment insurance program provides excellent examples of the interaction between statistics and programs. Such major economic indicators as the Bureau of Labor Statistics series on Employment and Earnings and the Office of Business Economics series on National Income Estimates and their more recent State and area estimates rely heavily on the employment and wage data reported as a part of normal unemployment insurance operations by employers subject to unemployment insurance laws. In turn, the bill for improvement in the unemployment insurance program, sent to Congress to incorporate the recommendations in the President's Message of July 8, was in large part based on data available from unemployment insurance operations and other sources. To summarize the bill's major changes briefly, it would extend coverage to more than five million additional workers, chiefly, in small firms, nonprofit organizations, State hospitals and universities, and farms with four workers in 20 weeks. It would add some new requirements for State laws, including a requirement that individuals not be disqualified for unemployment insurance because they are taking training. It would provide Federal extended benefits, to be triggered into operation by insured unemployment of 4.5 percent for three months. The obsolete $3,000 limit on taxable wages would be increased to $6,000 by 1974, thus providing the increased revenue needed for extended benefits and increased administrative costs with more equity *Presented at the 129-th Anniiual Meeting of the Amiericani Statistical Associationi, New York City, August 19, 1969.

Sponsorship of research: A survey of scientific literature, 1920–1960

This paper surveys 116 000 articles, published between 1920 and 1960, in fifty scientific journals. It analyzes each paper by field and by sponsorship. The details of change of sponsorship are followed from the period when 70 percent to 80 percent of sponsorship resided in the university and university funds, to the time when this had dropped to below 20 percent. The anatomy with respect to government agencies is given, together with the field of science. The pattern of sponsorship is changing. The Navy has, in general, provided by far the most generous share of sponsorship. In the period 1949–1960, the average share of sponsorship was: government, 48 percent; university, 29 percent; industry, 15.5 percent; and private research organizations, 7.5 percent. However, the shares of government and industry sponsorship are rising rapidly while those of universities and private research organizations are falling.

The Adult Education Enterprise

The number of published research studies relating directly to the organization, management, staffing, and financing of institutions of adult education increased significantly during the past five years. A number of outstanding doctoral dissertations analyzed phases of adult education as developed through the public schools, libraries, cooperative extension services, university extension services, and related services. Research personnel identified with such disciplines as law, sociology, and economics chose to study problems in education that have a direct bearing on the organization, staffing, and financing of the adult program. Private research organizations and citizens committees were involved in an intensive assessment of specific adult education programs and have recommended significant changes in the enterprise. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize selected studies which represent significant contributions to knowledge of the organization and administration of the adult education enterprise. Johnstone (1963) prepared the first of a series of studies sponsored by the National Opinion Research Center about the nature of adult education in America. A probability sample of 13,293 households was drawn; information was obtained from 23,950 adults representing 11,957 of these households. Estimates of national totals were developed from these figures. Activities classified as educational were those in which the main purpose

The Private Research Organization

The Private Research Organization

Committee on Foreign Relations: United States Foreign Policy

s of original research Committee on Foreign Relations: United States Foreign Policy abstracted by JAMES D. CALDERWOODed by JAMES D. CALDERWOOD ■ on July 31, 1958, United States Senate authorized its Committee on Foreign Relations to make a complete study of U.S. foreign policy. Committee then invited 12 private research organizations to prepare studies on various aspects of this subject. These 12 studies, together with a 13th by staff of Committee itself and a Summary of Views of Retired Foreign Service Officers, have now been published in a monumental two-volume work of 1,473 pages. two volumes thoroughly survey economic, political, military, scientific, ideological and administrative aspects of current world situation and role of United States in it. (See The Scope of Report on opposite page.) Four main themes run through this work. first, as one would expect, concerns challenge of Soviet Union to free As opening sentence of Study No. 1 states: The fundamental fact which dominates our foreign policy problems is determined, relentless intention of Soviet Union to control world. This challenge is total in nature and embraces production, trade, science, military, arts, race relations, propaganda, diplomacy and politicsindeed, just about every field of human thought and action. second theme is revolutionary developments occurring in underdeveloped countries. Here two great facts of life are poverty and nationalism, which make an extremely explosive combination. As Study No. 12 states: The entire fabric of these societies ... is being torn apart, old and time-honored being replaced by totally new economic, political and social forms. 42 Challenge • May, 1961 Abstracted from United States Foreign Policy, prepared under direction of Committee on Foreign Relations of United States Senate, 86th Congress, 2nd Session, September, 1960. Abstracts of significant, original research are prepared by leading scholars for publication in Challenge at frequent intervals. They are presented as a public service in cooperation with Joint Council on Economic Education. third theme is revolutionary effects of science and technology on production, trade, communications, war and population growth. Already our world has been transformed by them, and even greater changes are likely in future. Unfortunately, in opinion of Study No. 2, the outlook is that progress of science and technology will do more to create or intensify than to ameliorate [foreign policy] problems, unless deliberate policy measures are taken.

The Effects of Fair Trade: Fact and Fiction in the Statistical Findings

OVEER the past fifteen or twenty years price maintenance-the fixing by manufacturers of minimum or (occasionally) stipulated resale prices for their products-has been the subject of extensive empirical inquiry. Economists, interested trade and business groups, government agencies, and private research organizations all have participated. The intensive interest shown by these diverse groups results from at least three circumstances. First, price maintenance has been and is an important public policy issue. Second, the subject is directly concerned with prices-the prices which constitute the income of sellers as well as the cost-of-living of consumers and which serve as a focal point of interest for economists. Finally, the price maintenance field is of such a character as to invite statistical investigation. Price data promise a ready answer to many of the important questions on the effects of price maintenance, the collection of these data is seemingly an easy task, and the complexities of sampling procedure are readily overlooked. Because of this wide interest and because of the considerable attention which has been given to certain statistical studies, notably in connection with proposed legislative action, an evaluation of them seems warranted. The pages that follow attempt such an evaluation. I. TYPES OF STUDIES ATTEMPTED

Location of Potential Labor Reserves from Published Data

The need has been expressed, particularly by relatively small business organizations, for a simple but reasonably accurate method of spotting potential labor supplies frcm readily available data. Wage bills are occupying an increasingly important position in the semivariable cost structures of most industries. For this reason, prerequisites of industrial location involve not only the location of the required number of workers but also the selection of workers possessing the race, sex, and training characteristics desired by the organization in question. As the decentralization of industry progresses, the demand for, and the significance of, this type of information may be expected to increase. Relatively few persons in the business world are familiar with methods of interpreting the voluminous statistics available for help in dealing with these and other related problems, especially methods involving little or no cost. In some instances, consideration of the physical location factors, such as power, transportation, or nearness to markets and raw materials may be of equal or greater importance than the problems of labor supply in selecting a plant site. It is true that many plants are, in effect, resource-bound. How potent a factor the existence of workers, in certain numbers or possessing certain characteristics, will be in locating a plant bears a direct relationship to the proportion which labor costs bear to total costs. In many instances the physical factors desired by an industry will be equally available in a number of different places. If such is the case, the problem becomes one of choosing the best of the alternative sites on the basis of the availability of human resources. No amount of research will adequately take the place of an actual inspection of the area or interviews with prospective employees when a final decision is to be made as to location. State and local chambers of commerce, private research organizations, and university research bureaus, however, can often furnish much preliminary information and advice. Many businessmen would like to be able to make a preliminary investigation of the relative labor possibilities of the various counties in several states from analyses of data which are readily available at little or no expense. It is the purpose of this article to outline a simple technique which will satisfy this requirement by utilizing the basic statistics which are available in documents published by the United States Bureau of the Census and in annual reports of the labor departments in practically every state.L