Big Science, commonly defined as conventional science made big in three dimensions, namely organizations, machines, and politics, brings a plethora of different stakeholders together, often for a... Show moreBig Science, commonly defined as conventional science made big in three dimensions, namely organizations, machines, and politics, brings a plethora of different stakeholders together, often for a long period of time. This includes policymakers, scientists, (scientific) managers as well as local “host” communities. Each group has considerable, though often different, stakes in Big Science. These diverging interests require stakeholders to negotiate and to compromise between and among one another. Using qualitative methods, this dissertation contributes to a deeper understanding of such processes in and around Big Science in two distinct ways. First, it sheds light on how different stakeholders pursue and negotiate their interests within and in relation to Big Science. In doing so, the thesis pays particular attention to non-Western and indigenous actors, two stakeholder groups that the existing literature on Big Science has so far largely neglected. Second, it theorizes how conflicts emerge and develop between and among stakeholders, thus advancing theory-building in the largely undertheorized literature on Big Science. Overall, the dissertation demonstrates that, in contrast to conventional science, Big Science carries significant symbolism for the involved stakeholders, which often impedes effective stakeholder and conflict management. Show less
Scientometrics originate from the analysis of scientific publications, the most popular ways for disseminating scientific information within the scientific community. With the increasing use of... Show moreScientometrics originate from the analysis of scientific publications, the most popular ways for disseminating scientific information within the scientific community. With the increasing use of scientometric data in research management and research evaluation, various analyses can be conducted to better understand different aspects of scientific activities. On the one hand, the analysis of scientific publications from the Middle East and North Africa region opens up a range of possibilities to characterize its science systems. Large scale analyses of bibliographic metadata capture the stories of how the scientific workforce is connected, funded and mobile within diverse science systems. On the other hand, scientometric data is also used as a guide to transform the science systems. The main objective of this dissertation is to better understand recent science systems changes in the Middle East and North Africa by examining several of their facets and their recent evolution. Show less
This dissertation offers an in-depth evaluation of the Brazilian National System of Graduate Education (SNPG), overseen by the Brazilian Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education ... Show moreThis dissertation offers an in-depth evaluation of the Brazilian National System of Graduate Education (SNPG), overseen by the Brazilian Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES). Anchored at the crossroads of research evaluation, scientometrics, and science policy, the study employs a multi-faceted methodology to dissect the complex dynamics between evaluation mechanisms, academic productivity, societal influence, and policy repercussions in Brazil.Organised into four parts, the study opens by tracing the historical evolution of graduate education and its evaluative mechanisms in Brazil. The following section introduces an international perspective to the country's research system and its evaluation, including a comparative analysis with the evaluation model practiced in The Netherlands. The third part adopts a mixed-methods analysis to examine fundamental evaluative instruments in the Brazilian context, notably those pertaining to scholarly publication metrics. The final part confronts the challenges precipitated by the SNPG's rapid expansion and advocates for self-assessment approaches as a means to integrate a more multi-dimensional evaluation framework.In its conclusion, the research cautions that Brazil's performance-oriented evaluation model, while fostering scientific development, may inadvertently stifle innovation and diversity. The author argues in favor of revising existing paradigms to adopt a more context-sensitive and holistic evaluative approach. Show less
How we think about and act on the usefulness of scientific research has epistemological and political implications: what knowledge consists of, how it comes about and to what ends. In this... Show moreHow we think about and act on the usefulness of scientific research has epistemological and political implications: what knowledge consists of, how it comes about and to what ends. In this dissertation, I situate the usefulness of scientific research in concrete places for knowledge exchange. The exchange of knowledge within and between environments is shaped by many spatial factors: from architectural designs, physical proximity and material infrastructures to city planning, regional development and geopolitics. And not only knowledge travels: also spatial models for research organisation circulate. Focusing on ‘utility spots’ instead of prominent scientists, dominant disciplines or powerful organisations is proposed as a fruitful way to highlight the intersection of political, societal, economic, cultural and scientific developments. In this dissertation I propose and develop the utility spot concept as spatio-historical approach to the epistemology of useful scientific research. This allows me to relate different utility concepts to the histories of science, universities, science policy, and the geopolitics of the Atlantic world in the second half of the twentieth century. Future research into previous, current and future organisation of scientific research with societal value could focus on the politics of proximity (in multiple dimensions) at various utility spots. Show less
This study explores the international profiles in collaboration and mobility of countries included in the so-called “travel bans” implemented by US President Trump as executive order in 2017. The... Show moreThis study explores the international profiles in collaboration and mobility of countries included in the so-called “travel bans” implemented by US President Trump as executive order in 2017. The objective of this research is to analyze the exchange of knowledge between countries and the relative importance of specific countries in order to inform evidence-based science policy. The work serves as a proof-of-concept of the utility of asymmetry and affinity indexes for collaboration and mobility. Comparative analyses of these indicators can be useful for informing immigration policies and motivating collaboration and mobility relationships—emphasizing the importance of geographic and cultural similarities. Egocentric and relational perspectives are analyzed to provide various lenses on the importance of countries. Our analysis suggests that comparisons of collaboration and mobility from an affinity perspective can identify discrepancies between levels of collaboration and mobility. This approach can inform international immigration policies and, if extended, demonstrate potential partnerships at several levels of analysis (e.g., institutional, sectoral, state/province). Show less
Globally, the call for impact of science on society is louder than ever. The Netherlands is no exception. In 2004, valorisation was introduced as a core element of Dutch science policy, aiming to... Show moreGlobally, the call for impact of science on society is louder than ever. The Netherlands is no exception. In 2004, valorisation was introduced as a core element of Dutch science policy, aiming to increase the societal benefits of academic research. In scientific practice, the introduction of valorisation meant scientists got a new task, in addition to teaching and education. This thesis studies the valorisation policy from a principal-agent perspective. It aims to answer two questions. 1) How has the valorisation policy of Dutch government been translated to academic practice in the Netherlands between 2004 and 2014? And 2) How can societal benefits of academic research be evaluated? Scientists from a multitude of disciplines have been interviewed and surveyed and policy documents have been studied. The first key result is that the Dutch science system is in a transition. Scientists are motivated to engage with society and do so in many different ways. However, they have a limited understanding of valorisation policies and feel poorly equipped for the task. The second key result is that valorisation should be evaluated as a process. This facilitates learning among scientists and as such allows for improving valorisation practices. The study ends with policy recommendations. Show less
