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The IASSI organized during 2000-2001 three national seminars as
mentioned under Current News. In
these seminars important issues of social concern were discussed.
The issues for each seminars are presented below.
I. Seminar: Technology and
Society: Development Dimension
II.
Seminar: State of Social Science Research in the Country
III.
Seminar
Education related Issues and Perspectives for 2020
I. Technology and
Society: Development Dimension
Issues for
discussion
It is well established that technological development contributed
most to the rate of economic growth achieved in different countries. It is
also possible to relate the progressive improvement in the quality of life
achieved by the developed societies to progress in the technology.
The development, as a socio-economic phenomena, however, occurred,
through spread of the results achieved in the R/D efforts, within or
outside the Country. In a
large way, the spread of the R/D results distinguish the state of
technology and its improvement, in different societies.
This also distinguished the average levels of labour productivity
and levels of quality of life in different societies.
Flow of knowledge, in many cases, could be free, as in the case of
result of basic research; in many other cases, cost might be involved;
but, nevertheless, the flow is not restricted.
Thus, the structure of social and economic forces operating within
each country could be primarily responsible for distinguishing the extent
of spread and also the state of technology in different societies.
In India, almost for each type of input processing, technologies in
use form a very wide spectrum. If
all possible technologies, whether currently in use anywhere in India or
not, for a given form of input processing, are taken into account, the
spectrum would be even wider. This
feature, in itself, shows how exceedingly sticky has been the spread of
technologies in the country. This
also shows how powerfully social and economic forces have been acting, and
retarding in consequence, the spread of technology in the country.
The issue is crucial and also complex as in many cases the spread
occurred with the support of social and economic forces.
A lot, therefore, depends on our ability to identify the forces and
to find ways to remedy them so that the technological state of the country
improves in steady manner. Consistent
and significant effort in this direction has not been made in the past,
while the need for such can never be over stressed.
Considering the above the Indian Association of Social Science
Institutions organized a seminar on the general theme of Technology and
Society: Development Dimension. The
Seminar was designed to throw light on (a) the processes involved in the
diffusion of a technology through analysis of successful and unsuccessful
cases, (b) the socio-economic barriers to the path of adoption of improved
technologies by the final users, and (c) interface and interdependence as
between socio-economic institutions and technology development and its
extensive adoption by the users.
II.
State of Social Science Research in the Country
Issues for
discussion
There is no doubt that social sciences did not receive as much
significance in society as the physical sciences.
Social Science activity, on the other hand, has not been
insignificant. Social
sciences are taught in almost all universities; there are a large number
of research organizations devoted primarily to research in the area of
social sciences. There are also many professional associations dealing with
the professional issues related to various social science disciplines in
the country.
It has, therefore, been felt necessary to investigate why and how
such a state of affair developed in the country.
It must also be added that such a situation is almost universal.
Thus, it must be accepted, that in the making of this situation in
India, factors which have been unique to India and also universal factors
have played important roles. Such an investigation, therefore, is relevant not only for
India but also for social science generally.
This aspect was studied at a general plane by the Gulbenkian
Commission whose report has already been printed.
The situation is not similar in all the countries.
Thus, it will be worthwhile to find out how the matter stands in
India and what reorientation could be made so as to make social science
research in this country a valuable and useful intellectual pursuit.
For organizing the discussions it has been felt necessary to break
the theme into issues and sub-themes and invite papers on these.
The issues and sub themes are:
(i)
The Quality of Research:
The
aspect is broad and general. The
specifics under this could be: the thrust and the focus of research; the
character of analytical tools and concepts; the form of linkage with
reality; methodological approach (hypothesis building, testing, logical
base – inductive; deductive); measurement, quantification and approach
to classification.
(ii) Relevance: The first part in the study of relevance is an investigation of the
focus of research, ie, whether matters of current social concern are
properly addressed in the research. The
second is an evaluation of the results of research following from the
consideration that results of scientific research have two primary uses:
prediction and application. The
former is knowledge yielding, the latter is a socially useful activity
entering either in physical engineering or in policies for improvement,
which are also engineering in a way.
(iii) Information
Content, Dissemination and Application
Character and variety of information; field of reference (geographical area, population class,
industry/occupation/ product and
similar classificatory consideration); mode of dissemination of results,
recipients of the results; applications and uses.
(iv) Finance, Organization of
teaching and research
The aspects of concern in the above respect are: the quantum of
support available for social science research, agencies providing support,
manner of distribution of support and adequacy/inadequacy of individual
cases of support and such others; matters relating to organization of
teaching and research which were specially focussed by the Gulbenkian
Commission. The need for
building a multidisciplinary approach in teaching of subjects falling
under social sciences and discussions, and shifting focus of research in
research institutes were also stressed in the report.
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