Om vetenskapliga framsteg inom statskunskapen

Författare

• Dag Anckar

Abstract

There has been a series of major changes in political science since World War II. Three aspects of change are discussed, namely the internationalization of the discipline, the growth of the field of study and of political knowledge, and the diversification of theoretical approaches. The author thereafter raises the question whether these changes indicate scientific progress and he utilizes two indicators, cumulation and policy relevance, in answering the question. The answer being negative, one apparently faces a paradox. On the one hand the discipline has expanded in terms of regions, problems and methods; on the other hand these changes have not brought about scientific advancement. —• Two strategies for evaluating this paradox are discussed. On the one hand measures for improving the cumulativeness and the relevance of the discipline are suggested, and the desirability of rewriting policy problems in the form of research problems is emphasized. The second strategy is rejecting in nature, and it can take two forms. On the one hand there is the possibility of rejecting the way criteria are used — for instance, relevance should not be measured in terms of engineering but in terms of enlightenment. On the other hand there is the possibility of rejecting the criteria.