Irish science policy: a case study in evidence-based policy design for small open economies

This chapter examines national science policy as a case-study in evidence-based policy design. Its reviews the strategy and science of Irish science policy in light of the challenges for such policies in an SOE. The success of knowledge intensive industries depends on access to knowledge. However, private firms tend to underinvest in basic science where much of the benefit spills over to other firms, highlighting an important role for governments. Governments of SOEs face two challenges in devising a strategy for science policy: first, the benefits of science investments are likely to flow disproportionately to other countries; second, small size may limit the benefits of agglomeration economies that are central to many knowledge-intensive industries. Despite obvious spillover and scale challenges – geographical stickiness of new knowledge production and the capacity to absorb knowledge from the global stock depends on being active at the frontiers of knowledge production. The chapter concludes that the national benefit of research is the advantage in being able to access knowledge produced elsewhere.

National fractional calculations and evaluating organization’s science efficiency

Russian science policy in 2012–2018 appeared to be efficient which is proved by increased number of Russian publications indexed by Web of Science and Scopus. Dubious publication practices on and out of the fringes of science ethics is the other side of the coin. One cannot deny the scale of these practices while it is hard to be estimated. This scientometric challenge may be met through the transfer from integer calculation to fractional one. The authors introduce the term “national fractional calculation” which enables to estimate objectively organizations’ and researchers’ contributions into national science while not to demotivate participation in international collaborations. Based on the example of three groups, i. e. research organizations, Project 5-100 universities and other universities, the integer and fractional calculations are compared in detail for the 2018 as well as in the dynamics for the period 2000–2018 and for different disciplines. The authors show that, moving forward, fractional calculations increasingly differ from the integer ones. The largest differences are characteristic for the group of leading universities of Project 5-100 group being “scientometrically pressurized” within the framework of the national science policy.

Rothschild reversed: explaining the exceptionalism of biomedical research, 1971–1981

The ‘Rothschild reforms’ of the early 1970s established a new framework for the management of government-funded science. The subsequent dismantling of the Rothschild system for biomedical research and the return of funds to the Medical Research Council (MRC) in 1981 were a notable departure from this framework and ran contrary to the direction of national science policy. The exceptionalism of these measures was justified at the time with reference to the ‘particular circumstances’ of biomedical research. Conventional explanations for the reversal in biomedical research include the alleged greater competence and higher authority of the MRC, together with its claimed practical difficulties. Although they contain some elements of truth, such explanations are not wholly convincing. Alternative explanations hinge on the behaviour of senior medical administrators, who closed ranks to ensure that de facto control was yielded to the MRC. This created an accountability deficit, which the two organizations jointly resolved by dismantling the system for commissioning biomedical research. The nature and working of medical elites were central to this outcome.

Interests, ideas and legacies of the past: Analysing the positions and strategies of Swedish policy actors in the establishment of the European Research Council

In the past decade, the number of EU policy activities in research and higher education has increased greatly. The governance processes in these areas are increasingly characterized as multilayered, involving actors with a variety of roles, functions and loyalties. This article focuses on the forces shaping the policy positions and strategies of national science policy actors and coalitions in transnational policy processes through a case study of the positions, ideas and strategies held by central Swedish science policy actors in the process of building the European Research Council (ERC) during the first decade of the 2000s. The case is analysed from the perspectives of three versions of neo-institutional theory, each of which has somewhat different views on how institutions, interests and policy ideas interact in these kind of processes. The analysis shows that the Swedish influence on this process consisted primarily of an advocacy coalition of individuals with strong institutional positions in the Swedish science policy system and affiliations to transnational policy institutions and communities. Furthermore, the study shows that the policy actors largely functioned as normative entrepreneurs who related to general policy ideas shared by members of a transnational community, but also that the drivers of the development and the policy solutions were largely anchored in experiences and legacies from a national context.

FORMULAÇÃO DA POLÍTICA NACIONAL DE CIÊNCIA, TECNOLOGIA E INOVAÇÃO EM SAÚDE: retrospectiva do movimento dos grupos de interesse

A institucionalização da gestão científico-tecnológica em saúde no Brasil repercute em ações articuladas às necessidades econômicas e sociais do país. Este estudo analisa o processo de formulação da Política Nacional de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação em Saúde (PNCTIS) a partir da inserção desse tema na agenda governamental e da conformação de grupos de interesse. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório de caso, de caráter descritivo-analítico, baseado em dados primários e secundários. O histórico apresentado considera o movimento dos atores, o processo político e as soluções políticas propostas. O artigo constata, ainda, que a inserção da ciência, tecnologia e inovação na agenda do Ministério da Saúde e a formação de uma rede nacional de políticas públicas para odesenvolvimento científico e tecnológico, de abrangência intersetorial, resulta na formulação e na aprovação da PNCTIS em 2004.Conclui que esse esforço gera o ambiente favorável para a institucionalização da gestão científico-tecnológica na agenda sanitáriabrasileira.Palavras-chave: Política de ciência, tecnologia e inovação, saúde, agenda governamental.NATIONAL SCIENCE POLICY FORMULATION, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION IN HEALTH: retrospective of the stakeholders’ movementAbstract: The institutionalization of the scientific and technological management of health in Brazil has an impact on articulated actions to the economic and social needs of the country. This study analyzes the formulation process of the National Science Policy, Technology, and Innovation in Health (PNCTIS) from the insertion of this subject on the governmental agenda and of the conformationof stakeholders groups. It’s an exploratory study case, of descriptive-analytical character, based on primary and secondary data. The presented historic considers the movement of the stakeholders, the political process, and the proposed political solutions. The article still notes confirmed that the insertion of science, technology, and innovation on the agenda of the Ministry of Health and the formation of a national network of public policies for the scientific and technological development, of inter-sectoral coverage, results in the formulation and approval of PNCTIS in 2004. This effort generates a favorable environment for the institutionalization of the scientific and technological management on the Brazilian sanitary agenda.Key words: Science policy, technology, and innovation, health, governmental agenda.