Internationalisation of Social Sciences in Central and Eastern Europe: The ‘Catching Up’ -- A Myth or a Strategy?

Book Description

Internationalisation of Social Sciences in Central and Eastern Europe explores the way in which social sciences, in comparison with other sciences in Europe, have been divided by the political orders of West and East. As part of the field of science policies in Europe, this book contributes to the creation of a new understanding of the European academic landscape of social sciences with particular focus on CEE countries.

In its investigation of the emergence of social sciences in Central and Eastern Europe following the collapse of the totalitarian systems, this book discusses how the internationalisation of the social sciences and the convergence between Western and Eastern social scientific life is hindered by factors including funding, academic contacts, and curriculum development. The issues addressed within the text serve to prompt the realisation that coherence in European social sciences can be reached only if new academic traditions and cultures are developed, and science policies harmonised.

This book is essential reading for undergraduate and graduate students of European Integration, CEE or Transitional Studies, and any courses related to science policies. It is also relevant to science administrators and policy makers at national and European level.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Why this book? Dagmar Kutsar and Ilona Palne Kovacs  Part One: Insights into European science policies framework 2. International research collaboration in Europe - strategy and role of the European Science Foundation, John Marks and Balazs Kiss 3. The inclusiveness of the European Research Area in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities and the ways and means by which this could be better achieved, Dimitri Corpakis  Part Two: State of the art of Social Science and international cooperation in CEE countries 4. The problematique of structures - Social Sciences and CEE in flux, Iris Virtasalo and Jouni Jarvinen5. The involvement of Central and Eastern European data archives and data providers in forming a pan-European research infrastructure for Social Sciences, Brigitte Hausstein 6. Social Sciences in Central and Eastern Europe - institutional landscapes, Agnieszka Wenninger 7. Collaboration of the Social Science researchers of CEE countries in European research programmes during the period 1994-2006, Ulle Must 8. Inequalities in Eastern and Central European Research Area. Challenges of regional decentralisation, Gyula Horvath  Part Three: Country case studies 9. Czech science policy in Social Sciences and Humanities: towards transformation and catching-up, Adolf Filacek 10.Paving Romania's way towards the European Research Area, Dalina Dumitrescu 11. In isolation parochial standards persist: the case of the social sciences in Bulgaria, Galin Gornev 12. An evalutation system of the Science and internation orientation of Social Scientists: the case of Slovenia, Anton Kramberger and Franc Mali 13. Conclusions: Internationalisation of CEE Social Sciences - is the catching up a myth or reality? Dagmar Kutsar and Ilona Palne Kovacs