Word: supportive
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...American) social scientist is a product of (American) society and he tends to accept its values. This tendency is strengthened when he has to rely on government funds to support his research and when he advises the government on matters of policy...
This bias is likely to have unfortunate effects on both teaching and research. In particular, it leads to overemphasis on studies that tend to support existing policies and institutions and to the neglect of research on radical forms of social change...
...real question is whether the system discriminates against certain types of social criticism by means of the two types of control that are exercised: criteria for appointments and support for research. I do not propose to examine the former, although a think a case could be made for deliberately seeking a greater variety of social and political views in the Center for International Affairs and the departments from which it draws its members...
...assessing a research environment it is necessary but not sufficient to insist on the principles of academic freedom. These imply that an existing group of scholars should receive support for whatever they want to study and be uninhibited by outside pressures in the pursuit of their ideas. Since research funds are not unlimited, judgment must be made by either the wholesaler of funds (foundations and government) or the retailer (the research group itself) as to the relative merits of claimants...
Even when it works well, this process leaves two questions to be answered: 1) does the system concentrate research support too heavily on established scholars and traditional fields to the detriment of younger men and new ideas? 2) are there some important topics and ideas that are not even considered because no one outside the system puts them forward...