Soviet Social Science The Challenge for the American Academic Community: Summary of a Meeting (1990) / Chapter Skim
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Reports from Working Groups on Specific Topics
Reports from Working Groups on Specific Topics
Pages 14-22
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From page 14... ...
Two subgroups discussing "U.S.-Soviet Joint Scholarly Projects" addressed a broad range of possibilities, and two subgroups discussing "U.S.-Soviet Research Collaboration" focused more narrowly on the potential for joint or parallel research with scholars in the two countries together addressing the same problem. The group on "Logistical Issues in Soviet-American Scholarly Work" focused on questions of administration, financing, and the like.
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From page 15... ...
U.S.-SOVIET JOINT SCHOLARLY PROJECTS Subgroup A: Alexander Rabinowitch, chair; Jo Husbands, rapporteur The group took a very broad approach to the definition of joint projects, which included: bilateral projects on issues of mutual interest; bilateral projects on global issues, such as environmental problems or regional conflicts, for which the opportunity to work on common problems appeared very productive; and multilateral projects on specific problems, involving more than just U.S. and Soviet participants (and which are of increasing interest to funders)
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From page 16... ...
scholars to Soviet regional journals and giving Soviet scholars outside Moscow access to major American journals. Participants strongly supported projects that would involve getting American and Soviet pieces into each other's journals.
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From page 17... ...
In discussing quick fixes for some current problems in Soviet social science, the group expressed strong interest in public policy programs as training sources, in summer institutes for crash courses in methodology and research techniques, and for "data confrontation" seminars, which would permit in-depth discussions of particular types of data or particular data bases. U.S.-SOVIET RESEARCH COLLABORATION Subgroup A: Philip Converse, chair; Philip Stewart, rapporteur The group focused on a few key issues involving specific projects -- notably, survey research in the Soviet Union -- and spent most of its time discussing obstacles rather than opportunities.
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From page 18... ...
Subgroup B: Joseph Kadane, chair; Allen Lynch, rapporteur The group concluded that the major challenge is to maintain the impressive momentum of joint research projects and to use the opportunity afforded by the current Soviet chic to build a solid infrastructure for the long-term study of the Soviet Union within the American social science community. Projects have developed most effectively when the American participants have demonstrated a consistent pattern of achievement and
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From page 19... ...
Participants did agree that arranging funding for joint projects involves timeconsuming negotiations with Soviet counterparts and requires American insistence that each side pays a fair share, even if creative financing and burden-sharing arrangements may be necessary. In conclusion, the group agreed that the guiding purposes of American efforts in promoting joint research projects with Soviet scholars should include the following dimensions: 1.
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From page 20... ...
LOGISTICAL ISSUES IN SOVIET-AMERICAN SCHOLARLY WORK Richard Ericson, chair; Marianna Tax Choldin, rapporteur The group identified three major sets of logistical problems for U.S.Soviet projects. The first, finances and equipment, includes the nonconvertibility of the ruble.
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From page 21... ...
The Soviet Union is undergoing rapid social change along many dimensions, including the transition from authoritarianism, the spread of a market economy, increasing federalism, change in the monetary system, increasing public participation, the development of democratic political institutions, the rapid adoption of modern informationprocessing systems, and rising ethnic and environmental awareness. It is ripe for research and especially interesting to Americans because these changes are occurring from a cultural and political base very different from that in other countries that have undergone similar transitions.
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From page 22... ...
should be working to develop collaborations in clinical psychology. Fourth, American psychology journals might devote a special issue to Soviet research or invite Soviet contributions to a special issue on a particular topic.
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