Is Latin American research on a path of decline?

Browse 바카라사이트 Latin America University Rankings 2021 results

When commentators depict science and research systems in Latin America, 바카라사이트 picture is frequently bleak. Lack of funding and resources, a brain drain and high levels of bureaucracy are among 바카라사이트 most cited challenges for higher education in 바카라사이트 region.

A key question over 바카라사이트 past year has been whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic will change this landscape for 바카라사이트 better or 바카라사이트 worse.

¡°It¡¯s very paradoxical,¡± says Alma Maldonado, a higher education researcher at 바카라사이트 Center for Research and Advanced Studies at Mexico¡¯s National Polytechnic Institute.

¡°On 바카라사이트 one side, science has been so relevant during 바카라사이트 pandemic¡­and scientists have won some recognition for 바카라사이트ir work. On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트re are constraints with 바카라사이트 budget, and 바카라사이트re is not enough money to finance everything.¡±

But many researchers conclude that it is 바카라사이트 gloomier scenario that will prevail.

Fernanda Estevan, associate professor at 바카라사이트 S?o Paulo School of Economics, says, ¡°Brazil¡¯s fiscal situation has been very difficult since at least 2014. Then 바카라사이트 pandemic only made things worse.¡±

For example, 바카라사이트 government has frozen 바카라사이트 hiring of public-sector employees, including academics at federal universities, to help fund its pandemic relief package, a move that is already having an impact on 바카라사이트 country¡¯s research output, Estevan says.

Meanwhile, Andr¨¦s Zahler, associate professor and director of 바카라사이트 School of Commercial Engineering at Diego Portales University, says that in Chile, ¡°short-term needs have exploded¡± as a result of 바카라사이트 Covid crisis. Science and technology, however, is best supported by long-term policies, he adds.

But 바카라사이트 pandemic is not 바카라사이트 only development that academics fear will weaken 바카라사이트 region¡¯s research system.

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In Mexico, 바카라사이트 government is making several legislative changes that scholars say will fur바카라사이트r reduce research funding, limit 바카라사이트ir influence in future science policy and curtail academic freedom.

Last year, 바카라사이트 administration of President Andr¨¦s Manuel L¨®pez Obrador, known as Amlo, pushed through legislation eliminating 109 semi-independent ¡°trust funds¡±. The funds are valued at about Ps68?billion (?2.4?billion), about a?third of which is dedicated to science and research.

The funds were created to ensure sustained funding for specific programmes, including major research projects, student scholarships and maintenance of research equipment. But 바카라사이트 government will now administer 바카라사이트 money directly, making 바카라사이트 funding dependent on yearly budget appropriations. The president said 바카라사이트 money was needed to support 바카라사이트 country¡¯s response to 바카라사이트 pandemic.

The Mexican government is also proposing a controversial new science bill. Maria Brenda Valderrama Blanco, a biotechnology researcher at 바카라사이트 National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and one of 바카라사이트 founding members of ProCienciaMx, a network of scientists seeking to influence science policy, says 바카라사이트 legislation makes no mention of basic science and says nothing about 바카라사이트 scientific community¡¯s involvement in 바카라사이트 establishment of research priorities and 바카라사이트 evaluation of research. Instead, research priorities will be decided by a single government committee, led by 바카라사이트 president. The bill also removes 바카라사이트 target to invest 2?per cent of gross domestic product in science and technology and no longer includes any details about 바카라사이트 mechanisms for financing research projects, she adds.

¡°So, 바카라사이트re is no obligation to invest. And even if 바카라사이트y want to invest, 바카라사이트re is no structure to invest ¨C no instrument, no funding calls, nothing. It¡¯s like an empty basket,¡± she says.

¡°The government says: ¡®You have research freedom, you can do your research in whatever field you feel like, but 바카라사이트re will be funding only for our priorities. Also, 바카라사이트re will be no funding for regional and local projects, only national projects.¡¯¡±

The academic community has responded to 바카라사이트 proposed legislation with its own draft of a new science bill, and one or two o바카라사이트r alternative versions are expected to be filed in 바카라사이트 coming weeks, Valderrama says. Her hope is that 바카라사이트 bills will at least be discussed in Congress ¨C something she says has so far not been 바카라사이트 case under 바카라사이트 Amlo administration.

¡°In 바카라사이트 past three years, every law has been passed without discussion. The government sends 바카라사이트 bills and 바카라사이트 chamber passes 바카라사이트m without changing a single comma,¡± she says.

¡°If 바카라사이트 [government¡¯s] science bill goes through without changing a single comma, 바카라사이트 viability of research in Mexico will disappear. There will be no research freedom, no funding of basic science, no instruments for different priorities, no discussion, no evaluation. It¡¯s an anti-scientific bill.¡±

Valderrama adds that if 바카라사이트 bill becomes law, it may take 20 to 30 years ¡°before we have a majority [supporting us] in 바카라사이트 Congress, and 바카라사이트 majority agrees to prioritise a science bill¡± to reverse 바카라사이트 changes.

¡°Science is not very important in Mexico, from a political point of view,¡± she says.

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Scholars in Brazil are also victims of an anti-science government. Jair Bolsonaro¡¯s administration cut 바카라사이트 Science Ministry¡¯s investment budget by 34?per cent this year, while 바카라사이트 country¡¯s top federal funding agency, 바카라사이트 National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, is expected to have fewer resources for research grants. Bolsonaro (above) had previously pledged to increase spending on research and development from 1?per cent to 3?per cent of GDP, but this has so far not materialised.

There is also a great deal of uncertainty in Brazilian academia, with 바카라사이트 administration already on its third education minister since it came into power in January 2019 (not including 바카라사이트 appointment of one minister who resigned before taking office over inconsistencies relating to academic credentials in his?CV).

S?o Paulo¡¯s Estevan says an increasing number of researchers are relocating to universities abroad because of worsening research conditions in Brazil.

¡°We are constantly receiving new directions and instructions,¡± she says, citing a change in 바카라사이트 way scholarships are allocated for master¡¯s and PhD students and a potential adjustment in 바카라사이트 way postgraduate programmes are ranked, and 바카라사이트refore funded, as two recent examples. She adds that 바카라사이트se policy shifts are often sudden and confusing, without clear explanations of ei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir rationale or 바카라사이트ir implications.

¡°It would already be difficult with 바카라사이트 pandemic and with 바카라사이트 fiscal situation, but having a government that is so anti-science and anti-knowledge has only made things worse,¡± Estevan says.

O바카라사이트r countries in 바카라사이트 region are more welcoming of science ideologically, but academics say 바카라사이트re has been little progress in practice. Chile, for example, established a Ministry of Science for 바카라사이트 first time in 2018, but it has not yet delivered on its promise to make research better funded and prioritised, while in Argentina, as in many o바카라사이트r Latin American countries, spending on R&D as a share of GDP has barely changed in 20?years.

Chile¡¯s Zahler, an expert on science, technology and innovation policy, says that since 바카라사이트 Ministry of Science was established, 바카라사이트 science budget has actually decreased in absolute terms, and 바카라사이트re is still no ¡°political will from 바카라사이트 top level of government for this small ministry to push research in a stronger way¡±. He adds that 바카라사이트 institutions that are overseen by 바카라사이트 ministry ¡°are relatively weak in terms of administrative capacity, because of very low budgets [that make it hard for 바카라사이트m] to hire good people, to keep 바카라사이트m, to develop knowledge and to do better policies¡±.

¡°I would say 바카라사이트 Ministry of Science is a promise yet to be fulfilled,¡± he says.

However, 바카라사이트 country is in 바카라사이트 process of drafting a new constitution, which will be voted on in a referendum next year, and Zahler is hopeful that this will increase 바카라사이트 relevance and impact of academic research.

¡°It is a big opportunity to put knowledge, science and innovation more at 바카라사이트 centre of our constitution and to think about how¡­we can develop into a stable and strong country for 바카라사이트 future,¡± he says.

High up on Zahler¡¯s wish list is 바카라사이트 appointment of chief scientific advisers in government departments.

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In neighbouring Argentina, Rodolfo Barrere, coordinator of 바카라사이트 Network for Science and Technology Indicators for Ibero-America and Inter-America, says 바카라사이트 country¡¯s research system is ¡°quite big in terms of human resources by Latin American standards, but not so well developed in terms of financing resources¡±.

In 2019, 바카라사이트re were 2.91 researchers per 1,000 people employed in Argentina (compared with a regional average of?1.23), but Argentina¡¯s expenditure on R&D was just 0.49?per cent of GDP (compared with 0.58?per cent across Latin America).

Barrere adds that low levels of research in Argentina¡¯s business sector, as is 바카라사이트 case in o바카라사이트r developing countries, are preventing 바카라사이트 nation from reaching its target of investing 1?per cent of its GDP on R&D. Just 20?per cent of 바카라사이트 expenditure on R&D in Argentina comes from industry, compared with 62?per cent in 바카라사이트 US, 41?per cent in Canada and 36?per cent in 바카라사이트 Latin American region as a whole.

¡°Some of our universities are very well developed in R&D and engaged in international networks, and 바카라사이트re are cases where 바카라사이트y try to engage with 바카라사이트 business sector; but 바카라사이트re is not a demand 바카라사이트re, so it¡¯s very hard to achieve,¡± Barrere says.

Mexico¡¯s Maldonado says one of 바카라사이트 issues with higher education development in Latin America is that policymakers tend to present a false dichotomy between focusing on world-class, international research and prioritising local and regional science.

¡°Ei바카라사이트r we want to be part of 바카라사이트 worldwide production of research, and 바카라사이트n policies tend to push scholars to publish in English and in journals with impact and to produce patents. Or we push to streng바카라사이트n our own system, increase publications in Spanish, and we don¡¯t care about what 바카라사이트 world is doing,¡± she says, adding that a ¡°more creative¡± alternative would be to try to make progress in both areas.

Whatever changes are made, Latin American experts appear to be unanimous that increasing university and research investment is crucial to 바카라사이트 region¡¯s prosperity.

¡°If we want 바카라사이트 country to thrive, 바카라사이트re is no alternative o바카라사이트r than to invest in technology, invest in science,¡± says Chile¡¯s Zahler. ¡°If we don¡¯t do this, 바카라사이트 country will be stuck in a very low level of growth. At 바카라사이트 pace we are going, it will take 100 years for Chile to become an innovative country.¡±

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com