[1] Empirical social research has a long tradition in the Czech Republic. The first empirical surveys were conducted in the 1930s while the first program for a systematic attitudinal survey was created in 1946 at the Czechoslovak Institute for Public Opinion Research. The impact of the communist regime on the further development of the social sciences was, unfortunately, disastrous. In the 1950s sociology was considered a bourgeois pseudo-science and anything reminiscent of sociological research was abolished, although sample surveys were still conducted in the field of socio-economic research as part of the official statistics of the Statistical Office. In the “thaw” years during the 1960s, empirical research underwent intense development, in particular in the second half of the decade. The period of “normalization” after the Soviet occupation of 1968 put a stop to this. Some research activities were placed under the direct control of the communist party (e.g. research program of the former Institute for Public Opinion Research), while others were banned altogether. Nonetheless, socio-economic surveys continued to be conducted, including official statistics and economic opinion polling. There were also several surveys of the family and two large scale stratification surveys (Class and Social Structure in 1978 and 1984).
[2] After the political transformation in 1989 the development of empirical social research also changed substantially. The Czech Republic also started to take part in international research activities. The development of survey research was primarily due to the liberalization of the restrictive environment and an increase in the public’s need for research information. This need continues to grow as a result of the gradual stabilization of Czech democracy, economic growth and the inclusion of the country in European and global structures.
[3] The transformation of Czech science since 1989 has had its positive aspects, but it also involved a certain amount of chaos and resistance to the necessary changes. The studies “Visions of the Development of the Czech Republic up to the Year 2015” 1 (Note1: Potůček, M. et al. (2001): Vize rozvoje Ceske republiky do roku 2015 (Visions of the Development of the Czech Republic to the Year 2015), Report of the Center for Social and Economic Strategies of the Charles University in Prague, Prague, Gutenberg; ) and “Strategy for Higher Education, Science and Research” 2 (Note2: Mateju, P.: Strategie pro vysoke skoly, vedu a vyzkum (The Strategy for Higher Education, Science, and Research), Study for the project “Development of the Human Resources”.) recap the current situation and attempt to propose ways to improve this situation. Based on these studies, I have summarized the problematic features of Czech R&D in the following manner:
[4] Although EU countries face the same problems, the problems are more severe in the Czech Republic. The character of the institutional conditions, which probably lie at the heart of performance problems, is rather specific to the Czech Republic.
[5] The development of some indexes and some events over the past few years (e.g. the increase in investment, the growth in performance indexes, the formulation of priorities in government policy, inclusion in a number of European programs, etc.) are indications of a gradual improvement in the situation. From the perspective of global developments, however, the Czech Republic is continuing to slip from its original position in some areas. Some research performance indexes are still very low (e.g. the Relative Citation Impact Index is below the level of Hungary and Poland and the average of the associated countries). 3 (Note3: Some international comparisons, however, do not take account of research results from the period of Czechoslovakia and thus rate the situation as worse than it actually was.) The results of the political transformation and the degree of under funding in higher education are also unsatisfactory. 4 (Note4: Mateju, P.: Strategie pro vysoke skoly, vedu a vyzkum (The Strategy for Higher Education, Science, and Research), Study for the project “Development of the Human Resources”.)
[6] Figures 1 provides a comparison between Czech investments in R&D and those in selected European countries. The relative indexes of financial support in the Czech Republic in 2000 were just below 70% of the average for the 15 members of the EU. There are, however, great differences between individual member countries, and the amount of investment in the Czech Republic surpasses some of them; this is also true of some of the other EU accession candidate countries, namely Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
[7] Figure 2 describes the structure of resources and the investment allocation according to individual sectors. The percentage of investments in the private sector is lower in comparison with the EU average. Only a very small proportion of investments are effected in the private non-profit-making sector. The share of foreign grants and other resources contributing to the financing of Czech science amounted to 4% in 2000.
[8] The above assessment may also be applied to the social sciences. During the communist regime, this field was more impoverished than natural and technical sciences. A number of fields were suppressed on ideological grounds; some types of research were not needed in the given conditions. Even today, social sciences represent a very small percentage of total research.
[9] This fact can be gleaned from table 1 which contains data on investments and the number of employees. Expenditure on social sciences in 2000 amounted to 1.2% of total R&D expenditure; the share of employees in the social sciences is 2%.
| Intramural expenditure | Personnel in FTE* in thousands | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in thousands of CZK | in thousands of EUR | Employees Total | Researchers | |
| Natural science |
6 619 037 | 185 928 | 6 926 | 4 429 |
| Technical science |
15 621 031 | 438 793 | 11 864 | 6 202 |
| Medical science |
1 835 034 | 51 546 | 1 596 | 909 |
| Agricultural Science |
1 242 630 | 34 905 | 1 785 | 929 |
| Humanities |
855 244 | 24 024 | 1 552 | 1 072 |
| Social sciences |
314 270 | 8 828 | 475 | 311 |
| TOTAL |
26 487 246 | 744 024 | 24 198 | 13 852 |
[10] With respect to official statistics, data services are provided by the Czech Statistical Office (Český statistický úřad, ČSÚ). The statistics services concentrate in particular on the distribution of research results, but primary data from sample surveys are made available under certain conditions.
[11] In the field of academic research, data services were slow in arriving. Projects for the systematic archiving of data were rare even within individual institutes. Most data remained in the possession of individual research teams. Nevertheless, the idea of archiving data has a long tradition. The need and the technical resources required to store and distribute electronic data files through a data archive first appeared at the end of the 1960s 7 (Note7: Illner, M.: “Archiv spolecensko vednich informaci - novy pomocnik empiricke sociologie” (Archive of Social Science Information - the New Assistant of Empirical Sociology), in: Sociologicky casopis 4, 507-510.). The period of normalization had an effect on this promising development: social research was suppressed and there were also fears that the communist regime might abuse the archived data. However, at the end of the 1970s, a thematic archive was established which focused on social stratification surveys conducted between 1978 and 1984 8 (Note8: Matejovsky, A., Hudecek, J., Jerabek, H., Jezek, J., Stupka, V., Tucek, M., Vodakova, A., Vozenilek, J. (1978): Metodika Vyzkumu tridni a socialni struktury CSSR 1978 (The Methods of the Class and Social Structure Survey, CSSR 1978), Prague, Institute for Philosophy and Sociology CSAV.). In 1990 this archive was destroyed. Some of the materials were preserved by users of the archive and are now stored in the Sociological Data Archive. After 1989 the idea of a national data archive again became popular and several projects were considered in this respect. In September 1998 the Sociological Data Archive (Sociologický datový archiv, SDA) was opened at the Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. Two qualitative data archives have recently been established. The Czech Qualitative Data and Documents Archive (Český archiv kvalitativních dat a dokumentů) at Masaryk University in Brno was created in 1999 9 (Note9: Alan, J., Bitrich, T., Konopasek, Z. (2000): „Digitalni archiv mekkych dat MEDARD“ (The Digital Archive of Soft Data MEDARD), in: SDA Info 3.). The MEDARD Soft Data Digital Archive (Digitální archiv měkkých dat MEDARD) was founded in 2000 and is part of the Virtual Institutein Prague (Virtuální institut) 10 (Note10: Katrnak, T. (1999): “Cesky archiv kvalitativnich data dokumentu” (The Czech Archive of Qualitative Data and Documents) in: SDA Info 3).
[12] The main objective of the Sociological Data Archive (SDA) is to make Czech sociological data publicly available for academic, educational and other non-commercial purposes. There are three main areas of activities of the Archive:
[13] The Sociological Data Archive (SDA) collects computerized data files from quantitative sociological surveys. Data holdings include public domain data collected by the Institute of Sociology and other Czech organizations conducting state-financed sociological research, as well as data from Czech public opinion polls and international surveys with Czech participants. An electronic data catalogue and access to services are provided via the Internet.
[14] The following specifics of the Czech environment are crucial for the development of data services:
[15] The problem of how to increase the use of secondary data analysis not only involves the data services being offered, but also demand. Researchers are not really aware of the existing possibilities. Data services, whether domestic or international, are used less than they should be. Few projects include secondary data analysis as an important element in research strategy. A comparison of investments in surveys and the number of published analyses therefore often reveals evidence of inefficiency. If, for example, we browse through the archived datasets, we discover that in some cases there are only two or three publications related to a particular data file and some parts of several surveys have not been processed at all. The Sociological Data Archive (SDA) therefore pays close attention to the dissemination of information on data services and to support for secondary data analysis. The information strategy of the SDA includes publishing in periodicals, its own information materials, participation in teaching programs at universities (e.g. a course in Social Data Archives at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University) and the organization of public presentations. The SDA also publishes a quarterly information bulletin titled SDA Info (in Czech). Since it was established, the SDA has often been asked about things which are not directly concerned with the provision of data. Online services have therefore been expanded to include the following:
[16] The Archive helps to create support for the organization of some research projects. This involves, in particular, Czech surveys in the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) and the recently launched European Social Survey (ESS). It has also contributed to a lesser extent to the Czech part of other projects, e.g. the International Social Justice Project (ISJP), the Second International Adult Literacy Survey (SIALS) and the European Value Studies (EVS).
[17] The Sociological Data Archive (SDA) was founded as part of a large-scale project entitled Social Trends (1996-1998), the objective of which was to launch a regular social information service concerning Czech society. The project involved the implementation of regular surveys (participation in ISSP, longitudinal survey Economic Expectations and Attitudes), the foundation of the data archive, a series of analytical publications, the publication of a social report and the creation of a post-graduate educational program. A team comprising four institutions took part in this project: the Institute of Sociology, the School of Social Studies at Masaryk University in Brno, the Prague School of Economics and the Center for Educational Policy in Prague. The Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GAČR) provided financial support. Unfortunately, it was not possible to ensure the continuation of all segments in a new project of a similar extent. Some activities, however, continue as independent projects. The Data Archive was founded at the Institute of Sociology, which – after the termination of the Social Trends – has guaranteed its existence. The Sociological Data Archive (SDA) has been a department of the Institute of Sociology since 1999. A project which concentrated on the expansion of the data library and improvement in the data archive services was implemented again in 1999 and 2000 with the financial support of GAČR. In 2001 the Sociological Data Archive (SDA) became a member of CESSDA (Council of European Social Science Data Archives).
[18] The Institute of Sociology is an independent non-profit-making research institute working within the Academy of Sciences. It is one of the main centers of empirical sociology in the Czech Republic. The research program includes a number of topics 11 (Note11: Change in the Political System, Demographic Behaviour and Family, Economic Sociology, Gender in Sociology, Problems of Border Regions, Regional and Local Politics, Social Stratification and Transformation of the Social Structure.); the Institute of Sociology is a Czech representative in the ISSP and a member of the international organizations ECSR, IPSA, ECPR. It publishes Sociologický časopis (Czech Sociological Review) and a number of specialized publications.
[19] The Czech Academy of Sciences was established by the state and its activities are largely financed from the state budget (see Figure 3); nevertheless, it is not a service organization for the government. The objective of the Academy is to create an independent environment for basic research. Elected bodies of the Academy approve individual research programs. The Academy now consists of 60 research institutes and 7 service institutions (see table 2).
| Division | Number of institutes | Personnel in FTE* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total in % | Researchers in % | ||
| Mathematics, physics, informatics |
6 | 18.0 | 19.0 |
| Applied physics |
8 | 11.0 | 10.5 |
| Earth sciences |
5 | 7.2 | 4.4 |
| Chemical sciences |
6 | 14.7 | 16.3 |
| Biological and medical sciences |
10 | 22.0 | 20.7 |
| Bio-environmental sciences |
6 | 6.7 | 6.8 |
| Socio-economic sciences |
5 | 3.0 | 3.9 |
| History |
7 | 5.6 | 6.1 |
| Humanities and Philology |
7 | 5.8 | 8.2 |
| Service Organizations |
7 | 6.0 | 1.1 |
| Academy of Sciences in TOTAL (count) |
67 | 100.0 (6 603.9) | 100.0 (3 504.1) |
[20] At present the Sociological Data Archive (SDA) has at its disposal one office and three employees, most of whose workload is dedicated to the archive. In addition to this, the Archive cooperates with the other teams of the Institute of Sociology and makes use of the Institute’s administrative and technical support. The Archive’s data library and the Web server are located on a UNIX server (Solaris 8) where 18 GB have been allocated to the Archive. The Archive is connected to a backbone of a large academic network. The team has at its disposal PCs of an appropriate quality and access to presentation equipment (including a data projector). The Archive has access to the academic multi-license of SPSS and has licenses from STATA (including STAT Transfer), Adobe PageMaker, Adobe Acrobat and other standard software.
[21] The budget of the Archive is not fully separated from the budget of the Institute of Sociology. The basic salaries of the staff, office operations, technical equipment and expenses for regular services of the Archive are paid from the Institute’s overhead budget. The establishment and development of data services were paid from grant money (see above). Other projects are used to support some of the activities of the Archive. At present, the Sociological Data Archive (SDA) is participating in the following projects:
[22] Financial and material support for the Archive is good compared with the conditions of Czech sociology, but is still very uneven. The main limits are as follows:
[23] There are plans to negotiate an increase in the size of the budget and the number of Archive staff with the Academy. However, this depends on the resolution of other demands pertaining to institutional arrangements.
[24] Larger projects can be organized even now in cooperation with other teams within the nstitute of Sociology or based on external cooperation. The Institute of Sociology currently employs 54 researchers (some of them on a part-time basis). It has its own editing and publishing department. Meetings and conferences can be held at the Academy of Sciences since it has its own conference facilities, including services, equipment and accommodation.
[25] The greatest challenge for the Archive is the transfer to the DDI documentation standard and XML technology. This project will be very demanding on account of the volume of work involved in modification of the current documentation. In addition to obtaining the relevant software and hardware, it will be necessary to ensure additional work capacities.
[26] The Data Archive was constructed as part of two Czech projects. The primary objectives were to ensure fast archiving, ensure and make accessible at least the most important Czech surveys, ensure easier access to international survey data, support the teaching of sociology, and maintain data services. As a result of discussions over the last 30 years concerning data services, the purpose of the Archive is now quite clear. The project has therefore received strong support right from the beginning.
[27] The establishment of data services in the era of the Internet, however, cannot be based on principles formulated in the 1960s. The starting point was the study of the arrangement of services provided by existing organizations. The Archive was established in 1998. It was primarily modeled on the Central Archive for Empirical Social Research (ZA) services and UK Data Archive with its BIRON catalogue, and partly on TÁRKI, whose data services have been developed to function in the conditions of a country in the process of transformation. The arrangement of services and the data library, the principles of data provision, storage and cataloguing, and the Internet tools were examined. Personal contacts have been established, especially with the Central Archive for Empirical Social Research (ZA). A one-week visit to the ZA in 1999 established direct links with a well-functioning infrastructure and better knowledge of data service networks. This helped to clarify the priorities and the direction of the future development of the Sociological Data Archive (SDA) and elaborate some systems of service functionality in more detail. Links to promote data exchanges were also established.
[28] The advantage of a newly established data organization is the possibility of adopting and adapting mechanisms that are already in place. It allows priorities and schemes for service functionality to be set. Services can be developed quickly and efficiently, and many problems can be eliminated in advance. The acquisition of data from international projects stored in existing archives leads to an increase in the size of the data library to include national studies, which are often crucial. Pressure and support from the international community usually provide the main impetus for the creation of national data services. Support programs for new and less developed archives can help to overcome the lack of local support for the social sciences infrastructure and the shortcomings of the institutional environment.
[29] The Sociological Data Archive (SDA) has been a member of CESSDACESSDA since 2001. In future we can expect that full-scale involvement in the network of international data organizations will be a new qualitative step forward with respect to the range, comfort and efficiency of services. The main benefits of international cooperation are data exchange, the gradual interconnection of data services, joint work in developing IT technologies, possibilities of sharing results achieved in joint projects, standardization and joint policy concerning the further development of services and garnering of support. This will also open up a new channel for cooperation in social research.
[30]
The Czech Academy of Sciences:Sociological Data Archive (SDA) is part of the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The following alternatives can also be considered with regard to the creation of an alternative organizational structure:
- Universities,
- A commercial institution,
- Research or infrastructure center established by several institutions.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of running the data archive within each of these structures?
[31] The environment of the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences has already been described above. It is a large research organization. There, the Sociological Data Archive (SDA) is directly connected to survey research. Access to materials from many surveys is easier and, return, the SDA has expanded and improved the research infrastructure of the Institute. In addition to this, the SDA takes advantage of the technical support of the Institute and Academy. It is also assumed that institutes of the Academy have better chances to obtain grants than universities. The major proportion of state support for R&D is realized here; moreover, the Academy has its own grant agency. Nevertheless, it is the Academy of Sciences to which the main reservations concerning the institutional arrangement of Czech R&D are directed. First among these is that research is separate from teaching. Consequently, the Archive has fewer contacts with students. This is, however, partially overcome thanks to cooperation with universities. The impact of other structural problems (personnel limits, inflexible administration, etc.) has been described above.
[32] The higher education environment would bring the services of the Archive closer to students and students could participate in data processing for archiving purposes. Compared with the Academy of Sciences, though, access to surveys and data would be limited. Ensuring permanent funding would also be more problematic. Universities now find themselves in financial difficulties and extra-curricular activities are being eliminated or reduced. Some universities are capable of providing relatively high-quality material and technical support, but it would still be necessary to overcome a number of problems concerning the institutional organization.
[33] A private company administering the Data Archive would have to be profit-oriented. The activities of the Archive could, nevertheless, be financed from grants. For the time being, however, I am not aware of any appropriate local resources of grant support that could ensure long-term financing of the Archive. Profits could be generated by creating value added to the materials provided – quality documentation, tools for viewing of materials and analysis. This would lead to improved user comfort, but the increase in costs would also discourage some user groups.
[34] An appropriate environment for data services could be created at a research or infrastructure center established by several institutions. This is a frequent strategy used to overcome the problem of rigid institutional structures. Many support programs have also been designed to specifically finance such an arrangement (support for interdisciplinary cooperation, centers of excellence, etc.). The Social Trends Project was headed in this direction. In such an environment, the Archive could combine the advantages of the support provided by research institutions and universities, and expand its scope to include more disciplines (in the case of Social Trends, sociology, economics and educational research). In addition to general characteristics, however, the development of the Archive depends on existing conditions and the people involved. The management of the Institute of Sociology now concentrate on changing the institutional organization in order to stimulate development and greater cooperation in research activities. The Sociological Data Archive (SDA) occupies a rather important position in these plans.
26 April 2002
