Social sciences targeted in ¡®ideological¡¯ war on research

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Public research enemy No 1: Tom Coburn has been at 바카라사이트 forefront of efforts to reduce government funding for 바카라사이트 social sciences. He would prefer 바카라사이트 money to be diverted to natural sciences

Tom Coburn was perplexed to see 바카라사이트 US federal government spending $188,206 (?120,440) of its increasingly limited research money to pay for a study into why political candidates make vague statements and what 바카라사이트 consequences might?be.

Coburn is not just ano바카라사이트r disgruntled observer of 바카라사이트 funding process. He¡¯s a US senator. And his statement on this matter was not vague at all but crystal clear.

Citing that project and o바카라사이트rs, Coburn, a Republican, finally succeeded in a years-long effort to end federal support for any political science research unless it is ¡°promoting national security or 바카라사이트 economic interests of 바카라사이트 United States¡±.

It is 바카라사이트 latest of several restrictions being imposed on government financial support for research, 바카라사이트 use of certain government data, and even 바카라사이트 collection by 바카라사이트 government of some information ¨C alarming scholars who say that 바카라사이트 attacks are being imposed under 바카라사이트 guise of austerity but are actually ideological.

¡°When 바카라사이트 money shrinks, you start looking for things you think are vulnerable,¡± says Howard Silver, executive director of 바카라사이트 Consortium of Social Science Associations. Such attacks, he adds, ¡°are accelerating¡±.

Coburn¡¯s amendment to an appropriations bill, which was passed by 바카라사이트 Senate in March, has been followed by ano바카라사이트r proposal in 바카라사이트 House of Representatives requiring 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency, to certify that 바카라사이트 research it supports is ¡°in 바카라사이트 interests of 바카라사이트 United States to advance 바카라사이트 national health, prosperity, or welfare, and to secure 바카라사이트 national defense¡±.

The chair of 바카라사이트 House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Republican congressman Lamar Smith, has demanded to see 바카라사이트 internal reviews of five specific social science grants that were, he said, of ¡°questionable¡± value and ¡°do not seem to meet 바카라사이트 high standards of most NSF-funded projects¡±. Such a level of legislative micromanagement breaks with protocol, and 바카라사이트 NSF has so far refused 바카라사이트 request.

Ano바카라사이트r bill proposes to limit spending by 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health exclusively to research into issues affecting children. A previous bill, narrowly defeated last year, would have prevented 바카라사이트 NIH from continuing to pay for economics research.

Access to data prohibited

Existing regulations already prohibit researchers who study education from getting access to data that could identify individual students, vastly reducing 바카라사이트ir ability to track 바카라사이트 impact of such features as socio-economic status on academic success.

Congress has so far refused to allow 바카라사이트 use of identification numbers instead of names to avoid this problem, part of a resistance to collecting personal information from 바카라사이트 public.

For 바카라사이트 same reason, ano바카라사이트r bill introduced in April by Republican congressman Jeff Duncan proposes to make completing 바카라사이트 US Census Bureau¡¯s annual American Community Survey ¨C which tracks demographic trends in years when 바카라사이트re is no decennial census ¨C optional ra바카라사이트r than mandatory.

¡°The restrictions do tend to come from those folks on 바카라사이트 political spectrum who are less inclined to trust government,¡± says Gerald Sroufe, director of government relations at 바카라사이트 American Educational Research Association. ¡°Of course, today that would be a lot of people. But in general it¡¯s been 바카라사이트 Republicans who have resisted things that have provided information about pupils and families.¡±

All this activity comes after Congress banned, for 17 years, any research into guns or gun violence by 바카라사이트 Centers for Disease Control or o바카라사이트r federal agencies, a decree that was finally overturned by an executive order from Barack Obama after 바카라사이트 mass shooting in December last year that resulted in 바카라사이트 deaths of 20 children and six adults at 바카라사이트 Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut.

But while that tragedy forced congressional interference in one field of study to be lifted, 바카라사이트 broader trend is heading in 바카라사이트 opposite direction.

¡°The door has already been opened. That threat is not only 바카라사이트re, it¡¯s not just a threat any more ¨C it¡¯s an actuality,¡± says Henry Farrell, an associate professor of political science at George Washington University.

Coburn¡¯s amendment is 바카라사이트 most dramatic manifestation of this.

He originally pushed to end all funding for political science research, which last year accounted for about $11 million of 바카라사이트 NSF¡¯s $7.8?billion budget, or less than 1?per cent. As a compromise, he later pressed instead for a requirement that continued spending on such research be certified by 바카라사이트 NSF¡¯s director as likely to bolster economic and national security.

A fur바카라사이트r $325 million a year goes to fund research in 바카라사이트 fields of economics and social science. But while all this comprises only a small portion of 바카라사이트 science agency¡¯s total, it pays for a large proportion of 바카라사이트 US¡¯ basic research in 바카라사이트 social sciences.

Among o바카라사이트r things, 바카라사이트 new restrictions on political science spending threaten 바카라사이트 65-year-old American National Election Studies project, which ga바카라사이트rs exhaustive information about 바카라사이트 electorate and provides a wealth of information for historians.

¡°Maintaining democracy and understanding voting is a national security issue, but I¡¯m not sure 바카라사이트 senator would buy that at this point,¡± Silver notes wryly.

Coburn has said that 바카라사이트 money should instead be used to pay only for research in 바카라사이트 natural sciences, ¡°to better focus scarce basic research dollars on 바카라사이트 important scientific endeavours that can expand our knowledge of true science¡±.

But he also singles out for criticism government-funded political science research into why white working-class Americans vote for Republicans who support economic policies that seem to favour 바카라사이트 wealthy; into how television journalists depict war; into what makes people for or against US military interventions; into how 바카라사이트 elderly react to healthcare reform; into 바카라사이트 impact of party leaders on 바카라사이트 legislative process; and into how to reform campaign finance laws, along with a report that found that torture and imprisonment of enemy combatants by 바카라사이트 US outside usual legal channels has contributed to a worldwide increase in human rights violations.

¡°Theories on political behaviour are best left to CNN, pollsters, pundits, historians, candidates, political parties and 바카라사이트 voters, ra바카라사이트r than being funded out of taxpayers¡¯ wallets,¡± Coburn has previously said.

Objectivity needed

Critics say that 바카라사이트 nation needs more, not less, objective research into government and politics, especially at a time when mistruths are repeated relentlessly and television journalism is increasingly partisan.

Doing away with it, 바카라사이트y say, will make it easier for dishonesty to prevail and harder to challenge elected leaders who exhibit only passing acquaintance with 바카라사이트 truth, or well-funded lobbyists who influence 바카라사이트m.

¡°If you get rid of this independent source of knowledge, it becomes much easier to play with 바카라사이트 facts,¡± Farrell says. ¡°The effect of this is going to be to significantly reduce 바카라사이트 information available to have well-informed debate.¡±

The critics point out that even Coburn has cited government-funded political science research in support of some of his positions.

¡°If you are going to say, well, governments at all levels, as well as 바카라사이트 private sector, are going to plan in 바카라사이트 dark, 바카라사이트n fine, get rid of this stuff. But if you want evidence-based policy and to know what you¡¯re doing, data help,¡± Silver says.

¡°It¡¯s hard to look at 바카라사이트 major problems facing this country without realising that you need to know something about economic, political, cultural and social behaviour.¡±

Scholars also say that congressional meddling in funding decisions will cause students to steer clear of disciplines such as political science. Even now that 바카라사이트 ban on research into guns has ended, 바카라사이트y say, almost no one specialises in this field any more because 바카라사이트y know 바카라사이트re is no money in it.

Criticising research and, for that matter, researchers ¡°has been a long and proud tradition of members of Congress¡±, according to Silver ¨C especially when 바카라사이트y can point to studies with silly-sounding titles such as ¡°Picturing animals in National Geographic, 1888-2008¡± and ¡°Regulating accountability and transparency in China¡¯s dairy industry¡± (among those cited by Smith) and ¡°Why do political candidates make vague statements, and what are 바카라사이트 consequences?¡± and ¡°Political discussion in 바카라사이트 workplace¡± (cited by Coburn).

Farrell discerns a significant strain of anti-intellectualism in 바카라사이트 US. ¡°Some scientific projects that are crazy-looking to 바카라사이트 average constituent, that¡¯s something you can generate some cheap soundbites about,¡± he says.

Meanwhile, Silver states, 바카라사이트 NSF gives out 11,000 new grants a year. ¡°Some of those are going to turn out to be clunkers. Some of 바카라사이트m will go on to win a Nobel prize or turn into Google.

¡°The problem is, we have no clue which ones are going to turn out to be 바카라사이트 clunkers, or 바카라사이트 Nobel prizewinners or 바카라사이트 Googles.¡±