| Autor: |
Tom Bauwens, Katrien De Koster, Elisabeth Enhus, Ann Evenepoel |
| Přispěvatelé: |
Beyens, K., Christiaens, J., Claes, B., Ridder, S. De, Tournel, H., Tubex, H., Criminology, Crime & Society |
| Jazyk: |
angličtina |
| Rok vydání: |
2013 |
| Předmět: |
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| Zdroj: |
Vrije Universiteit Brussel |
| Popis: |
Questions regarding the role and contribution of criminologists to the public policy debate are major concerns within criminological discourse. Although this kind of engagement opens up the academic criminological endeavour to a wider audience, for the scientists involved the process is often a rollercoaster of frustration, conflicts, dilemmas and inner struggles, particularly from a social constructionist's informed perspective. Using these insights has some serious consequences for knowledge and the role of science and criminology on the one hand and the policy-making process on the other, as it is clear that neither policy nor science was written in stone and handed down as a sacred text. Questions about who defines what situation as problematic are even more difficult to ask explicitly in policy-supporting research. In this context, it is seldom acknowledged that scientists can only interpret the meaning of their results against a range of explanations that are themselves products of other interpretations, especially when it comes to the role of the researcher, the decisions to be made and paths to be chosen. We argue that more openness about these issues does not temper the quality of research but enhances it. We need to let this complexity in, instead of ignoring and avoiding it. However, we do not want to be misunderstood; policy supporting criminological research is not so much a 'pain', rather it is a fairly though challenge for researchers. Policy-supporting research is an opportunity for criminologists to have their knowledge and insights put into practice but it will always be limited as the researcher is bound to meet contractual obligations. The specificity of policy-supporting research is often acknowledged in textbook definitions, but seldom described. This is exactly what we aim to do in this chapter. |
| Databáze: |
OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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