97/36 Swedish Support to Social Sciences Research Centres in Central America 1992-1995

Description:
SAREC has supported independent research institutes in Latin America since 1977. The overall objective was to prevent the escape of researchers from the countries concerned. These institutes acted as platforms for critical social and economic research and contributed to the democratization process. Since then, Latin American democratization has taken leaps forward and the previous motive for support has largely disappeared. Current motives for support are more general than specific, like to strengthen social science and contribute to democratization.
Academic assessment of centers listed required a number of methodological strategies and a variety of data collection instruments adapted to the objectives of this study. It was assumed that those who know more deeply about the reality of an academic institution are those directly involved in it. Consequently, the data collection work consisted largely in interviews with people employed in the centers to be evaluated.