FYI - Information Science Research in the EEC Countries
Stroetmann & Menou's ECLIPS '93 paper ...
From: michl menou
Subject: Menou's paper at EC Amsterdam
AN INITIAL OUTLOOK OF INFORMATION SCIENCE RESEARCH
IN THE E.E.C. COUNTRIES
by
Dr. Karl A. Stroetmann, Siegburg, Germany
Dr. Michel J. Menou, CIDEGI, Gentilly, France
Presented at the ASIS European Chapter session on
"Information science research in Europe and the USA",
ECLIPS 93, Amsterdam, April 6, 1993.
ABSTRACT
From a recent survey, a preliminary picture of the E.E.C.
research institutions in information science, focusing on
information policy, economics, management and applied information
systems, is presented. The prospects for the development of the
research capacity and networking are discussed.
1. INTRODUCTION
In 1992, Dr. Karl A. Stroetmann, then with the Information
Policy Research Group of the German National Research Centre for
Computer Science (G.M.D.), carried out a survey, under contract
of the E.E.C. DGXIII, of the research institutes and consulting
firms active in the areas of public information policy,
information economics and/or applied information research.
Karl Stroetmann was unfortunately not in a position, due to
previous commitments to attend our meeting at ECLIPS 93. He
kindly gave us the permission to summarize the results of his
study.
Karl Stroetmann's observations and conclusions have been
incorporated in this paper [1]. But we added some of ours.
2. THE SURVEY
The potentially relevant institutions were first identified
through directories, literature, personal network, GMD's
addresses list, a release in the FID News Bulletin, snowballl
effect in feedback from the contacts taken. In addition two field
trips were undertaken in Spain and Portugal and in Greece and
Italy. As a result some 300 institutions were identified.
A short questionnaire was developed and sent to 242 of these
institutions. 86 questionnaires were returned. The 34.6 %
response rate can be regarded as relatively satisfactory.
The composition of the sample is detailed below.
COUNTRY NUMBER OF NUMER OF RESPONSE
QUESTIONNAIRES ANSWERS RATE
SENT RECEIVED FROM THE
COUNTRY
# % # %
Belgium 15 6.04 6 6.97 40
Denmark 8 3.22 5 5.81 62.5
France 59 23.70 14 16.27 23.72
Germany 30 12.09 16 18.60 53.33
Greece 14 5.64 4 4.65 28.57
Ireland 6 2.41 0 0 0
Italy 24 9.67 5 5.81 20.83
Luxembourg 3 1.20 1 1.16 33.33
Netherlands 23 9.27 8 9.30 34.78
Portugal 23 9.27 7 8.13 30.43
Spain 14 5.64 4 4.65 28.57
United Kingdom 29 11.69 16 18.60 55.17
TOTAL 248 100 86 100
Because of the sources used for identifying potential
institutions, the mailing list was in some cases rather extensive
and in others far more selective. This, and basic socio-cultural
factors, explain in part the lower response rate in Southern
Europe. Some countries, like the United Kingdom, may seem under-
represented, while others, like France or Portugal, may be over-
represented. However, the proportion of the respective countries
in the responses seems more representative, except perhaps for
the United Kingdom.
The survey did not attempt at comprehensively covering the
whole field of information science research but focused on
information policy and economics and applied research. One may
add that the research infrastructure is both scattered among many
institutions in the Academic, Government and Private sectors. It
is all but easy to trace, would it be only because their
designations or basic public data do not make their involvement
in information science explicit. It is also unevenly covered in
directories of institutions or current research. An indication
of its coverage could be found in the comparison between the
number of French institutions identified, 59, and the number of
academic research groups identified in a national survey carried
out in 1991 as part of the preparation of the PARINFO programme,
with an extensive definition of the field and different criteria,
which amounted to 148 [2].
The survey should be regarded as initial. It nevertheless
provides a first uselful insight into the structure of the
information science research scene in the E.E.C. countries.
The data in the questionnaires and in accompanying material
were analyzed.
3. CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION RESEARCH IN E.E.C.
3.1 TYPE OF ORGANIZATION
Although the questionnaire provided for the categories of
for-profit (private) and not-for profit institutions (University
or academic, governmental, non-governmental, foundations), the
answers allowed only to differenciate among the two main
categories of for-profit and not-for profit for a meaningful
analysis. About 80% of the organizations carrying out research
in information science are in the not-for-profit category.
It is however likely that the private sector was under-
represented in the mailing list. It is particularly strong in the
area of IT applications. In the Academic sector, one may find a
number of faculties, departments, schools or research groups
whose designation refers to some aspect of information science,
but many do not. It is also not unusual that such institutions
are part of broader units with a competence in any general
subject. The number of academic institutions in this field may
be quite large compared to the Private or Government sectors but
is not always commensurate with the intensity and significance
of the respective research effort.
3.2 RESEARCH FIELDS
For the time being it is not possible to capture
comprehensively nor unequivocally information science with main
headings or specific terms which could be understood by all. In
the different languages and cultures of the E.E.C. countries most
common denominations have a distinct slant, if not different
meaning. The questionnaire thus proposed a broad array of
subjects in an attempt to identify the subjects on which it was
focused and those which may be less represented.
The data presented in the following tables should be
interpreted with caution. A few organisations, while providing
little or no information on their current research, nevertheless
thicked off several, and sometimes all, research fields as their
main areas of competence. Since the survey was conducted for the
E.E.C.'s DGXIII, some organizations may have been tempted to
somewhat over-estimate their strengths.
NOT-FOR POFIT
RESEARCH FIELD
1. Information Economics 48% 53% 46%
2. Information Markets 43% 53% 41%
3. Information Management 64% 82% 59%
4. Regulatory
Legal Aspects 28% 18% 30%
5. Public Information
Policy 37% 47% 35%
6. Societal Impacts 44% 29% 48%
7. Behavioral
Organizational Aspects 43% 41% 44%
Number 86 17 69
INFORMATION RESEARCH FIELDS BY COUNTRY
RESEARCH FIELD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
econo marke manag legal polic socia organ
COUNTRY
Belgium (n 6) 33.33 16.66 33.33 16.66 16.66 33.33 33.33
Denmark (n 5) 20.00 80.00 60.00 - 40.00 - 20.00
France (n 14) 50.00 42.85 50.00 21.42 28.57 64.28 57.14
Germany (n 16) 50.00 43.75 62.50 31.25 18.75 50.00 50.00
Greece (n 4) 75.00 75.00 75.00 50.00 75.00 50.00 25.00
Ireland (n 0) - - - - - - -
Italy (n 5) 40.00 40.00 40.00 - 20.00 - -
Luxembourg (n 1) - 100 100 100 - - -
Netherlands (n 8) 62.50 37.50 75.00 50.00 50.00 62.50 62.50
Portugal (n 7) 42.85 28.57 71.42 28.57 57.14 42.85 42.85
Spain (n 4) 25.00 25.00 75.00 50.00 50.00 - 50.00
United Kingdom (n 16) 56.25 43.75 81.25 25.00 50.00 56.25 43.75
The distribution across the various fields is surprisingly
even. There appears to be a good basis, if appropriate support
and stimulation is available, for competitive bids to conduct
research projects across the E.E.C..
For-profit institutions seem, as can be expected to
concentrate more on economics, management and information policy
issues. Information management is also a dominant topic among
not-for-profit institutions, but their research interests are
more evenly distributed across all fields.
The distribution of the fields among the countries follows
a similar pattern. It is also roughly even among the countries
although some of them display slightly distinct features. A
closer analysis using the accompanying material revealed for
instance a particular cluster in the area of library and
information science for the United Kingdom, business
administration in Germany, databases and IT applications in the
mediterranean countries.
The spectrum of research topics which could be identified
from this material is very broad indeed and possibly covers all
the aspects of information science. They included for instance:
- macro level issues such as: philosophy of technology, issues
in public policy, societal impact of IT, analysis of information
demand and supply, statitistics on information markets,
statistics on information technology, information in developing
countries;
- application issues such as: corporate information management,
information and corporate success, private household
applications, manpower development, planning of education and
training;
- technical issues such as: knowledge representation, artificial
intelligence, retrieval methods and softwares, multimedia,
hypermedia, thesauri, terminology, automatic translation,
electronic communications, electronic data interchange,
telecommunications, library and information services.
3.3 RESEARCH INTENSITY
In order to obtain some indication in this respect, the
questionnaire asked for the number of projects initiated or
carried out since 1990, that is to say over a period of
approximately two and a half years. 87.2 % of the respondents
answered this question. Three quarters of them have been engaged
in at least four different projects during the considered period,
which indicates a fair to high research intensity.
However, for-profit organizations seem to be involved in a
smaller number of projects
NUMBER OF PROJECTS SINCE 1990
TYPE OF ORGANIZATION ALL FOR-PROFIT NOT-FOR-PROFIT
NUMBER OF PROJECTS
1-3 25% 33% 23%
4-6 44% 40% 45%
7-10 7% - % 8%
More than 10 24% 27% 23%
N: 75 15 60
er of institutions has only recently been established and
sometimes has just started a research activity or is about to do
so. This indicates that across E.E.C. the information science
field in the broad sense defined for the survey is at last, even
if slowly, becoming a recognized and established field of applied
research and consultancy.
3.5 NETWORKING
Respondents were asked to provide a list of organizations
in other European countries that their institution had worked
with on information research projects. Almost two-third of them
mentioned that they entertain international contacts in one way
or another. The lists provided by some institutions seem to
indicate that some small informal networks of information
exchange and cooperation already exist. Contacts among countries
with the same or related languages dominate, as can be expected,
but a noticeable diversity could be observed. Few contacts with
industrial companies, trade associations, Central and Eastern
Europe and outside Europe were mentioned.
3.6 RESEARCH PROGRAMS
It may be appropriate to remind here that programs
specifically geared to the support of information science
research exist in some of the E.E.C. countries. The major ones
are found in the United Kingdom, particularly under the British
Library Research and Development Department, which provides more
than adequate dissemination of the reports and bibliographies of
research reports. As far as we understand such facilities also
exist in France, Germany and the Netherlands.
In France for instance, PARINFO jointly administered by the
Ministries of Education and Research, provides grants, upon
competitive bids, which are currently focused on 5 major themes:
models of knowledge bases, evaluation of information systems,
information seeking behaviour, the role of information in
productivity and competitiveness and as a strategic resource and
a new industry. The roughly 500 000 $ available in 1991 were
allocated to some 12 institutions, most of them academic, in
grants ranging from $. 14 to 40 000 for 12 to 18 months.
The E.E.C. maintains a number of programs which are geared
to computer and telecommunications applications in libraries or
the development of information industries (IMPACT), in particular
through technological developments. It also supports significant
RD programs in electronics, telecommunications and computer
sciences (ESPRIT, RACE).
The critical question perhaps is if, how and when a proper
balance will be found between the development of hard- and
softwares on the one hand, and the development of brainware, on
the other hand. In other words, we got marvellous machines, but,
by the way, do we need them and do we know how they fit in the
current information scene?
4. FUTURE EUROPEAN COOPERATION
More than half of the respondents replied to the question
concerning facilitation and improvement of research cooperation.
>From theses responses, some general criteria can be specified:
- a decentralized network structure would best suit the diverse
needs and expectations and may also help activate additional
resources at both the national and regional levels;
- stronger ties between institutions in the more peripheral and
in the more central regions of the E.E.C. should be fostered;
- the network should in a further stage be open to non-E.E.C.
participants, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe;
- the network should both learn from and develop upon already
existing contacts with competing regions like North America or
the Pacific Rim;
- the network should provide for long-term continuity in any of
its endeavours;
- research topics should take into account the specific needs of
the peripheral regions;
- due attention should be paid to the special cultural and
regional characteristics and the resulting problems;
- research topics should address both longer term strategic
issues and actual problems;
- newly established researh units which are not yet experienced
with a competitive research market should be specifically
invited to join network projects.
A number of specific suggestions were also presented,
including:
- publish commercially available directories of research
organizations, on-going projects, research grants and support
programmes;
- provide for electronic communication facilities (Email,
bulletin boards, computer conferencing, etc.);
- organize small focused workshops or seminars and/or a bi-annual
European IS research conference, possibly in connection with
an already established meeting;
- organize and fund interdisciplinary and cooperative research
projects;
- support the mobility of researchers from the peripheral
countries (grants for visiting research fellows);
- establish an European Society for Information Science and an
point. The Chapter could
clearly play an important role in the building of the
contemplated network(s). It could help establishing permanent
links and cooperation among the various interest groups in
national societies concerned with research issues [3]. It could
help connecting this community to the ASIS community at large,
which is an unique reservoir of research expertise. It could help
shape a more effective system of professional societies and
activities in Europe and the information science field in
general. Because of its balanced membership where the number of
researchers and educators is roughly up to the number of
practitioners, it could also help linking research to the
professional needs and concerns of the the latter.
REFERENCES
[1] Stroetmann, Karl A. Information economics and policy research
in Europe. Inventory and networking. Paper presented at the
IMPACT Workshop on "The role of information in the economy and
society", Luxembourg, November 3-4, 1992.
[2] Minist
re de la Recherche et de la Technologie Minist
re
de l'Education Nationale, de la Jeunesse et des Sports. S minaire
PARINFO. Programme d'aide la recherche en information. Paris,
11-12 f vrier 1991. Paris, MRT/DIST, 1991.
The survey carried out through bibliographic searches
identified
- 57 academic research teams in computer sciences (computing,
artificial intelligence, expert systems 20%; hypertext
hypermedia 20%; human-computer interaction 25%; storage
retieval 25%; telecommunications 10%)
- 23 teams in natural language processing
- 30 teams in ergonomy, psychology, philosophy
- 17 teams in economics and management
- 10 teams in legal aspects
- teams in tools and methods for the analysis of information.
[3] There is a number of such groups, which it would be useful
to survey, e.g. in France Research Committee of the French
association of documentalists and special librarians (ADBS),
French society for information and communication sciences
(SFSIC), French society of biliometrics (SFB); in Germany
University Union for Information science (Hochschulverband f r
Informationswissenschaft - HI -).
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