We hear often about the role of "knowledge workers" in the new "information economy." The positive ideological content of those phrases is supplied by the ready-made dichotomy between knowledge and ignorance. Knowledge is good; ignorance is bad. Knowledge is power; ignorance is weakness. But knowledge can also be rendered as cunning: selfish cleverness, skill in deceit or evasion. Here, again is a dichotomy -- this time between cunning and candor. What does it mean to say that "research" is increasingly "market driven"? Crudely put, it means that the questions one asks will be determined by the likelihood of receiving funding. Things are rarely that crude, of course. More subtly, it means that only those METHODOLOGIES that conform to a given set of research questions will receive funds. Researchers then are expected to work backward from the approved methodologies and quite naturally restrict themselves to the limited set of questions that can be addressed by those methodologies. "Garden variety" research -- that is, "empirical analysis of available quantitative data", "international comparisons" and "econometric modelling" -- is not at all value-free or objective. It is founded on a false and misleading analogy between nature and society. It would arouse suspicion if one overtly claimed that current social conditions are the result of a natural process and not of human actions and intentions. But it is more cunning if one uses only those research methodologies that rely on the claim, without explicitly acknowledging the claim itself. Such a regime rewards the cunning of researchers and diverts the social production of knowledge from the positive end of the knowledge/ignorance pole to the negative end of the cunning/candor pole. And, speaking of data, there's not nearly enough of it in this message. Regards, Tom Walker ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Vancouver, B.C. [EMAIL PROTECTED] (604) 669-3286 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The TimeWork Web: http://www.vcn.bc.ca/timework/
