Skip to main content

Compromised Futures: The Consequences of an Aging Research Staff

  • Chapter
East European Academies in Transition

Part of the book series: Sociology of the Sciences Library ((SOCL,volume 1))

  • 33 Accesses

Abstract

One of the grave problems created by the transformation process is the imbalance in the demographic structure of the research system. An imbalanced age structure threatens the continuity of research productivity and development. Some figures are truly dramatic. In the Ukrainian institute of physics the percentage of researchers younger than 35 made up 23. 2% of the total number of researchers in 1990 but as few as 10% in 1994. In the Russian institute of economics there are about 230 researchers, half of whom are older than 50 and only 16% are younger than 40. In the Hungarian institute of solid state research researchers older than 40 constitute 60% of staff while only 10% are younger than 30.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Analytical Centre for Science and Industry Policy (1996). Mobility of scientific personnel in Russia. Moscow: Analytical Centre for Science and Industry Policy (in Russian).

    Google Scholar 

  • International Science Foundation (1995). 1994 Annual Report. Washington, DC: ISF.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, Thomas (1970). The structure of scientific revolutions, 2nd ed.. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann, N. C. (1953). >Age and achievement. Princeton, NJ: University of Princeton Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, Stephan, Paula Levin, & Sharon Levin (1993). Age and the Nobel prize revisited. Scien-tometrics 28, 387–399.

    Google Scholar 

  • Messeri, Peter (1988). Age differences in the reception of new scientific theories: The case of plate tectonics. Social Studies of Science 18,101–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mikulinski, S. (ed.), (1977). Scientific schools. Moscow: Nauka (in Russian).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nesvetailov, G. A. (1986). Intensification of academic science. Minsk: Nauka i technika (in Russian).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pelz, Donald C., & Frank M. Andrews (1996). Scientists in Organizations. Productive Climates for Research and Development. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radulescu, Dan (1995). Romanian youth and scientific research. Academies in transformation. Higher Education in Europe 20,220–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rappa, M., & K. Debackere (1993). Youth and scientific innovation; the role of young scientists in the development of a new field. Minerva, 1,1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schweitzer, G. E. (1995). Can research and development recover in Russia? Technology in Society 17,121–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simonton, D. K. (1988). Age and outstanding achievement: what do we know after a century of research? Psychological Bulletin 104, 251–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stankiewicz, R. (1979). The size and age of Swedish academic research groups and their scientific performance. In UNESCO (ed.), Scientific productivity. The effectiveness of research groups in six countries (pp. 191–222). Paris: UNESCO/Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, John A. (1986). Drifting continents and colliding paradigms: a quantitative application of the interests perspective. Social Studies of Science 16, 261–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (ed.), (1979). Scientific productivity. The effectiveness of research groups in six countries. Paris: UNESCO/Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuckerman, H., & Robert K. Merton (1972). Age, aging structure in science. In M. W. Riley, M. Johnson, & A. Foner (eds.), Aging and society, Vol. 3: A sociology of age stratification (pp. 292–356). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Nesvetailov, G.A. (1998). Compromised Futures: The Consequences of an Aging Research Staff. In: Mayntz, R., Schimank, U., Weingart, P. (eds) East European Academies in Transition. Sociology of the Sciences Library, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9121-8_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9121-8_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5065-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9121-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics