Interdisciplinary Policy Research in Independent Research Centers.

Walter S. Baer

Expert InsightsPublished 1975

Discusses the management of interdisciplinary research on domestic policy issues at Rand and other independent research institutes. These centers were established principally to conduct defense related studies with more independence than government agencies, greater emphasis on interdisciplinary, policy oriented research than universities, and fewer conflicts of interest than industrial laboratories. The same factors are important for success in nondefense policy studies as well. The major problems in managing interdisciplinary research include building a strong interdisciplinary team, selecting and motivating project leaders, maximizing institutional support while minimizing bureaucratic constraints, selecting the right projects and clients, and linking research to policymaking. Some general advice and recommendations are presented, but many of these are classical, "insoluble problems" for which temporary solutions must be rediscovered case by case. (Presented at AAAS session on Formulating Science Policy, New York, January 1975; prepared under a Markle Foundation grant.) 16 pp. Ref. (Author)

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Baer, Walter S., Interdisciplinary Policy Research in Independent Research Centers. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1975. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5347.html.
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