The independent role of research in society and the primacy of the will of the people

All research policy is characterised by a balancing act between the autonomous role of research in terms of academic freedom and the possibilities available to allow the will(s) of the people to have ultimate decision-making authority over the use of public funds. The project focuses on clarifying how different conceptions of academic freedom and the primacy of the will of the people affect the organisation of our research councils. What ideas about academic freedom and democracy shape the governance of the research councils? For example, does the representation of researchers on the agencies' boards reflect a freer position for the research councils in relation to the political leadership than for other government agencies? Are there solutions that can better reconcile the value of the free role of research in society with the democratic principle of the primacy of the will of the people?

---

Principal Investigator: PerOla Öberg (Department of Government)

Period: 2023

Funding: SEK 469 807 from the research program Democracy and Higher Education