SOCIAL LEARNING - A MODEL FOR POLICY RESEARCH (FROM POLICY STUDIES - REVIEW ANNUAL, V 2, 1978, BY HOWARD E FREEMAN - SEE NCJ 51647)

• NCJ Number: 51651
• Author(s): J FRIEDMAN; G ABONYI
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 14 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. REPRINTED FROM ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING, V 8 (1976), P 927-940

Annotation

IN SEARCHING FOR AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO TRANSLATE SOCIAL RESEARCH INTO POLICY ACTION, POLICY-RESEARCH MODELS ARE CRITICALLY EXAMINED AND A SOCIAL-LEARNING MODEL IS PRESENTED AS BEING MORE APPROPRIATE.

Abstract

IT IS BELIEVED THAT CURRENT POLICY ANALYSIS CONFORMS TO A MARKET MODEL OF RESEARCH IN WHICH KNOWLEDGE IS BOUGHT AND SOLD AS A PACKAGED COMMODITY, USUALLY IN THE FORM OF A WRITTEN REPORT. ALL VARIATIONS OF THIS MARKET MODEL ARE INDICATED TO BE INADEQUATE IN EFFECTING CHANGES IN SOCIAL POLICY SO AS TO IMPACT AN ACTUAL PROBLEM. THIS IS REPORTED TO BE DUE TO THE SEPARATE WORLDS OF THE ACADEMIC WHO PRODUCES THE REPORT AND THE POLICYMAKER WHO BUYS IT. POLITICAL AND BUREAUCRATIC CONSIDERATIONS ARE PRIMARY IN DETERMINING POLICY DECISIONS, WHEREAS, SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES OF A PARTICULAR ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE ARE PARAMOUNT IN THE RESEARCHER'S DECISIONMAKING; THEREFORE, THE TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE FROM RESEARCH TO THE WORLD OF POLICYMAKING OFTEN FAILS TO MAKE A DENT IN SOCIAL PROBLEMS BECAUSE IT IS DEEMED BY THE POLICYMAKER TO BE INAPPROPRIATE IN THE LIGHT OF EXISTING POLITICAL AND BUREAUCRATIC REALITIES. THE SOCIAL-LEARNING MODEL FOR THE TRANSFER OF RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE TO SOCIAL ACTION IS PROPOSED AS A WAY OF DEALING WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED PROBLEM. THIS MODEL VIEWS SOCIAL LEARNING AS OCCURING IN A SETTING OF ACTUAL SOCIAL PRACTICE WHICH IS COMPOSED OF THE FOLLOWING INTERRELATED PROCESSES: THE FORMULATION OF A THEORY OF REALITY; THE ARTICULATION OF RELEVANT SOCIAL VALUES; THE SELECTION OF AN APPROPRIATE POLITICAL STRATEGY; AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIAL ACTION. THE SOCIAL-LEARNING MODEL PROPOSES THAT EACH SOCIAL RESEARCH 'THEORY OF REALITY' TRANSFERRED FROM THE ACADEMIC WORLD TO THE WORLD OF THE POLICYMAKER BE INCORPORATED WITH THE OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE MODEL IN A PILOT PROGRAM IN A GIVEN LOCAL SITUATION. EACH DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT CONCERNED WITH SOCIAL ISSUES WOULD HAVE AN AGENCY THAT WOULD CENTRALIZE MANAGEMENT OF SUCH PILOT PROGRAMS AND COMPILE INFORMATION DERIVED FROM THEM. COST QUESTIONS, COMMUNITY REACTION, AND TESTED EFFECTIVENESS OF THE THEORY WOULD THUS BE CONSIDERED IN A 'LIVE' SITUATION. THIS INTERMEDIATE EVOLUTIONARY STEP FROM THEORY TO GENERAL POLICY WOULD MAKE IT MORE LIKELY THAT RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE WOULD BE PUT TO GENERAL USE IN DEALING WITH SOCIAL PROBLEMS. (RCB)