Crossing the divide: - Maastricht University

It appeared that the policy processes in the respective countries had not been taken
into account before in the formulation of technical assistance programmes. In most
cases there had not been a national dialogue on which assistance priorities could
be based. Cooperation without dialogue, in other words.
The local researchers became aware of the marginal role that many stakeholders
had played in the formulation of Science &Technology policies in international
programmes. The researchers noted the poor methodological base for cooperation
in research, and the lack of research on such cooperation.
Despite grand plans and funding promises the European Union has not become the
major player in science and technology for development. Although the mentioned
studies did show that there was ample scope for a European contribution, the sorry
state of current European development cooperation in general, and its declining
interest in technological cooperation with the South does not augur well for future
programmes. This means that policy dialogues will have to be held at other levels.
Experiences of other donors, especially the Austrian, British, Danish, Dutch,
Norwegian, Swedish and Swiss will need to form the basis of European alliances or
consortia. In all likelihood this will be the only way to continue the development of
this precious art of policy dialogue in the field of scientific and technological
cooperation. An art, which is greatly needed, if we are to believe the 2001 Human
Development Report (UNDP 2001).
Conclusion
There is nothing more practical than a good theory was the maxim that Rudie van
Lier would impress on his students and colleagues. This founder of a critical school
of socio-historical thought and practice at Leiden and Wageningen Universities
played with the notion of praxeology – the theoretical reflection on policy practice, or
the practical application of theorizing (Van Lier 1979: 10). He argued, that we need
… a realistic sense of problems and versatile open minds. I think that out of
these operations real multi-disciplinary work will emerge and will later find its
explicit theoretical foundation. Multidisciplinary efforts should be in the first
place problem-oriented. […] And this means that the sociologist or
anthropologist has not only to be trained as a craftsman, but that he should be
supported in his action-oriented approach by a systematic praxeology, a
science of practice.
The study of science and technology as social phenomena incorporates various
schools of thought and brings together many disciplines. The discipline of Science
and Technology Studies (STS) is multidisciplinary or it is not. It requires a realistic
sense of problems, because that is the pragmatic starting point, which makes for its
societal relevance. It calls for open minds that can transcend the order of one
discipline, or of one scientific or technological culture. It is problem oriented in that it