Young Intellectual Nomads: A Generation of Post-

Communist Returnees and No-Returnees after Training

in the West

Pal Tamas[ HAS, Budapest]

UNCERTAINITY- AS PRINCIPLE FOR LIFE PATTERN STRUCTURES

PRE-1989/91 PRINCIPLES OF ACADEMIC MANPOWER BEHAVIOUR:

a. Calculability of life patternsb. State- main source of intellectual jobs

c. Academic manpower planning as a tool for the minimization of „overeducation”

d. Meritocracy + loyalty = systems principles

MARGINALISATION AND DISAPPEARENCE OF

INTELLECTUAL JOBS- 1989-91STRUCTURAL – Cold War jobsSEASONAL -transitional state

capacitiesVIRTUAL - dreams about own real

potentials and social justice for „opressed” generations

PERMANENT UNCERTAINTY –new element of life strategies

GENERAL TRENDS IN ACADEMIC LABOUR

MARKETSA. Mass PhD training in social

sciences –massive overproduction -80-90ies

B. Discovery of project principle in research financing –already in the 60-70

C. Dualization of institutions and employment forms in „hard-soft” tracks

PUBLIC SPACE AROUND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITIES OF

SOCIAL RESEARCHERS• Continuity-

discontinuity of institutional elites / political involvement

Continuity/ political involvement

continuity discontinuity

Direct policy Old technocracy

Marketing, public opinion research

„critical intelectuals”

„manifesto intelectuals”

Talk-show social

scientists

STRUCTURE OF PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITIES

• Power/authonomy vs. funding sources

Power/

founding

Insiders Outsiders

Western transfer

Internat.org.”expatriote”

Data collector,

case studies

Government policy institutions

Concept suppl. system builder

Local policymaker sectoral data analyst

DYNAMICS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS IN THE 90IES

factors 1989-91 Early 90ies Late 90ies

Direct political involvement

xxx xx x

Public attention x xx x

Foreign research sources

xx x xx

Educational mission

x xx xxx

National innov. systems involv.

x? --- x

„END OF TRANSITION” STRATEGIES IN THE POST-SOCIALIST SOCIAL

RESEARCHEND OF 90IESWestern agencies: support of individuals, but not institutionsend of democracy building, termination of direct

political interestLocal academic elites:Growing interest in institutional reformsDirect institution-institution ties to the

international professional communityStabilization of existing intra-academic power

relationships

KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION MATRIX

Space/

knowledge

Political actor-specific knowlege

Actor-specific knowledge

Rigid client selection [no space available]

KNOWLEDGE STRATEGY

overpolitized, national, non-markets

FULL SERVICE STRATEGY

Dependency on public adminstrations

Flexible client selection [space available]

RELATIONSHIP STRATEGY I

Cosmopolitan choices, international organisations, non-market

RELATIONSHIP STRATEGY II

Multi-actor markets, national, international

DOCTORAL STUDIES- LENGHT, 2004-5

NEW „NOMADISMS”

EARLY NOMADISMS- Democracy building NGOs at home- Sacralization of Western degrees- Political boom in re/training [US-EU,

internal divisions in the regions]LATE NOMADISMS-integration of democracy building function

into state institutions-prices for organizational loyalty

SOCIALLLY OPTIMAL ADAPTATION

SOA- socially optimal adaptation =

The „prudent” and feasible level of expenditures, that a country might want to carry out, given its baseline adaptive capacity at a particular time

Vulnerabilities are almost always sectoral.

Hypothetical response curves indicating the way that various societies adapt to natural resource scarcity

RE-INTERPRETATION OF NEW INSTITUTIONAL

CONSTRAINTS• Knowledge resource market• Academic labour market- rigidity,

fluidity, mobility of experienced managerial personal

• „the supply market”- pre-existing buyer-supplier linkages

• Contracting-subcontracting relationships in academia

INTELLECTUAL NOMADS

A. OVERPRODUCTION OF YOUNG PhDs IN SOCIAL SCIENCES

B. COST-MINIMIZATION STRATEGIES IN THE ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS

C. COMPETITIVE CAREER PATTERNS WITHOUT ORGANIZATIONAL LOYALTY?

D. END OF LONG-TERM EMPLOYMENT IN THE ACADEME?

STRATEGIES OF NEW NOMADS

1. Leaving the academic scene2. Social enterpreneurship3. Conformity: adatation to existing

institutions4. Long-term intellectual migration5. Counter-intellectual