Analysing scientific activity : a sociological study of the scientific and political

Abstract

In the sociology of science, a concern with political/economic effects on science or with "the social system of science" have tended to be mutually exclusive approaches. Perhaps as a consequence of this there have been few sociological studies of scientific activity which have attempted an integrated approach. Political/economic factors can influence science on a number of levels, one of which is the orientation of research activity. This is the case with solar energy research in Australia which began through the search for appropriate technologies for marginal situations, but which due to the increasing interest in energy provision in the 1970's became "energy research". This had a significant effect on the nature of solar energy research; scientists who as a profession had held only a minor role in solar energy research compared with engineers, became much more dominant. As scientists' contributions increasingly were defined as solar energy research, the boundaries of what was conceived of as solar energy research greatly increased and incorporated a wide range of fundamental through developmental research. Solar energy research is characterised by great cognitive diversity which makes it difficult to establish agreement on research priorities. Collectively the resurgence of interest in, and involvement in, solar energy research has involved certain tensions, in particular between engineers and scientists, between university-based researchers and government researchers, between the established solar energy researchers and the new-comers. Also solar energy research has had funding problems because, while it is dominantly aimed at development of technology, relatively little funding for such work is available in Australia. Government funding dominates, which places those scientists who are policy advisers in a powerful position, however the designation of solar energy research as rather mundane science has limited the funds entering it from existing channels of funding. Also it has had none of the institutionally established support of existing energy technologies. Solar energy researchers have recognised this situation and also that increased public relations activity is a likely outcome, however those solar energy researchers who have been successful in this regard have been subject to considerable criticism by other solar energy researchers. Show more