Soviet Scientists and the State : An Examination of the Social and Political Aspects of Science in the USSR

In recent years there has been much discussion of the negative social and economic consequences thought to arise from the continuing highly centralised character of Communist Party rule in the Soviet Union. Few areas of academic interest place these issues in sharper relief than the study of the political relations of Soviet natural scientists. In so far as the division of labour in the natural sciences transcends national and ideological boundaries, Soviet scientists are susceptible to a variety of professional influences which crosscut official institutional hierarchies through which Communist Party supervision is exercised. As science is generally considered to thrive on unimpeded personal communication, some of the conditions regarded as essential for effective research conflict with the established forms of political control prevailing in the Soviet Union. The working environment of Soviet natural scientists thus provides a fruitful context in which to assess the consequences of the measures adopted by the party to maintain its dominance and also an appropriate base from which to explore some important sources of change in contemporary Soviet politics. ## Notes and References Bibliography Index Contents vii ## Soviet Scientists and the State Because science is universal, the division of labour does not neatly fit into national or institutional boundaries. The formal hierarchies and administrative subdivisions of a nation's scientific institutions do not, therefore, fully correspond with the professional relations which grow up among the scientists employed in them. Although often in receipt of state funds, neither the problems on which scientists work, nor the results which they receive are entirely defined or assessed by their administrative superiors. In so far as recognition is allocated through informal scientific communities, scientists have a source of independent criteria by which to judge the scientific standing of their superiors and the professional authoritativeness of the hierarchies which they surmount. In Chapter 5, the relationship between the informal structure of scientific communities and the formal institutional arrangements of the establishments in which their participants are employed is discussed. Particular attention is paid to the character of leadership in research establishments and the way in which such a decentralised activity as science is accommodated by the centralised system of state planning operating through the USSR Academy of Sciences and its kindred institutions. Academic establishments are not the only components in the institutional framework within which scientific research and academic teaching takes place in the Soviet Union. An important role is also played by the Soviet Communist Party. This role is described and its significance discussed in Chapters 6 and 7. The Communist Party's responsibilities are not confined to political functions such as generating and disseminating propaganda: it also plays a key role in the supervision of scientists and the research they undertake. These aspects of the party's work are closely associated in the way in which it interprets its activities in science. Essentially the party asserts that effective research is dependent upon the success with which the party's supervisory and ideological roles are carried out in scientific institutions. An examination of the validity of this claim forms an important part of the two chapters concerned with the political context of science in the USSR. ## SOVIET SCIENTISTS AND THE STATE: SOME RECURRING QUESTIONS In order to understand the relationship between the Soviet state and In so far as those who occupy influential positions in the USSR Academy of Sciences enjoy the recognition of their colleagues, their authority is based, at least in part, on informal scientific communities. These communities transcend the institutional boundaries of the research establishments for which such leading scientists may be responsible and the administrative divisions of the USSR Academy of Sciences in which they may hold high office. They are thus well placed to appreciate the important part played by informal communities in the advancement of science. It is not surprising, therefore, that, in the past, the most committed advocates of strengthening informal contacts in science have been those whose work has received the widest international recognition, thus lending their views an independent source of authority not readily available to those employed in other professions in the Soviet Union. 2 The upper reaches of the scientific hierarchy are not the only sources of influence on the party apparatus. The primary party organisations located in scientific research organisations and other scholarly establishments such as universities are exposed, through the functions they perform and through their rank-and-file membership, to the Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction: The Social and Political Relations of Soviet Natural Scientists....Pages 1-7 Soviet Natural Scientists: Institutions and Status....Pages 8-21 The Educational Background and Social Characteristics of Soviet Natural Scientists....Pages 22-32 Soviet Scientists and World Science: The Effectiveness and Social Relations of Soviet Natural Scientists....Pages 33-51 Planning and Leadership in the Soviet Scientific System....Pages 52-63 Natural Scientists and the Communist Party: Structure, Functions and Membership....Pages 64-81 Communist Party Policy Towards Natural Scientists: Impact and Response....Pages 82-96 Conclusion: Science and the Centralised State....Pages 97-105 Back Matter....Pages 106-138