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The Recruitment and Migration of Canadian Social Scientists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Anthony Scott
Anthony Scott*
Affiliation:
University of British Columbia
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Extract

This paper presents some information about the two disciplines which have hitherto composed our association. It is largely a by-product of a series of studies in which I have been collaborating on the international migration of scientists and engineers. My paper arises from our research because, as I hope to suggest, many of the particular characteristics of the collectivity of political scientists and economists in Canada arise from its uncertainty about its geographical reference. This in turn is a consequence of the dependence of Canadian academic departments, and of other employers, on sources outside Canada for the training of new recruits.

The subject is by no means new. At least part of my theme was put before this association almost twenty years ago by Professor H. F. Angus in his 1949 presidential address “Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences,” in which much consideration was given to advanced study abroad. In 1952 Professor J. E. Hodgetts reviewed three contemporary reports (by Professors Dawson, Watkins and Keirstead, and Macpherson) on the teaching of political science in Canada; they make gloomy reading today. We have also had the advantage of a series of papers on research in the social sciences, sponsored by the Social Science Research Council of Canada, by Messrs. Ostry, Dawson, Clark, and others.

Le taux de croissance des facultés de sciences sociales est plus élevé, depuis 1949, que celui des universités elles-mêmes. Ce phénomène est lié au fait que les inscriptions d'étudiants sous-gradués en économique et en science politique ont augmenté plus rapidement que prévues. La croissance des départements et des corps professoraux se trouve, de ce fait, liée au nombre d'étudiants sous-gradués de sorte que le développement de la recherche et des études supérieures est une conséquence et non une cause de la croissance.

Le recrutement nécessaire à cette expansion explique que les professeurs d'économique et de science politique sont, dans l'ensemble, plus jeunes que les autres professeurs d'université. En effet, plus des trois-quarts ont moins de 45 ans. La plupart des étudiants canadiens dans ces deux disciplines vont poursuivre leurs études supérieures aux Etats-Unis, et 60 pour cent des professeurs sont recrutés parmi ces canadiens. Les 40 pour cent qui restent sont nés outre-mer et ont été éduquês outre-mer ou bien ils sont nés aux Etats-Unis. Très peu ont été entièrement éduqués au Canada. En conséquence, la plupart des personnes recrutées sont jeunes et sortent des écoles graduées des Etats-Unis ou d'Europe.

Trois implications se dégagent: (1) Les départements canadiens vont continuer à se tourner vers les écoles graduées étrangères pour leur recrutement. Plusieurs Canadiens ne considèrent pas les études supérieures au Canada comme une source de recrutement, mais favorisent des études supérieures pour attirer de nouveaux professeurs et pour d'autres raisons. (2) La recherche est caractérisée par les sujets et les méthodes en vigueur dans les écoles graduées. L'absence d'un circuit d'écoles graduées implique l'absence de sujets et de méthodes de recherche s'inspirant des problèmes politiques canadiens. (3) Si les écoles graduées canadiennes doivent concurrencer l'excellente source de recrutement actuelle, elles devront consacrer des fonds beaucoup plus considérables à la recherche.

La situation actuelle du recrutement et de la mobilité assure un mouvement international pour plusieurs années. Peut-être les pressions des étudiants sous-gradués, le développement des écoles graduées et les programmes de recherche commenceront-ils bientôt à produire un flux d'étudiants susceptibles d'éntrer sur le marché mondial et d'agir comme catalyseur dans l'application de méthodes de recherche adaptées aux problèmes typiquement canadiens.

Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science/Revue canadienne de economiques et science politique , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , November 1967 , pp. 495 - 508
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association 1967

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References

1 See especially Grubel, H. G. and Scott, Anthony, “The Characteristics of Foreigners in the American Economics Profession,” American Economic Review, 57, no. 1 (03 1967), 131–45Google Scholar; and Anthony Scott and Herbert Grubel, “The International Migrations of Canadian Economists,” mimeo., 1966.

2 Angus, H. F., “Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences,” this Journal, XV, no. 3 (08 1949), 299–309.Google Scholar

3 J. E. Hodgetts, “Dives and Lazarus: Three Reports on the Teaching of Political Sciences,” ibid., XVIII, no. 1 (Feb. 1952), 88–91.

4 See especially, S. D. Clark, “The Support of Social Science Research in Canada,” ibid. (Special Supplement), XXIV, 1959.

5 V. W. Bladen, “A Journal is Born: 1935,” ibid., XXVI, no. 1 (Feb. 1960), 1–5.

6 K. W. Taylor, “Economic Scholarship in Canada,” ibid., 6–18.

7 Goodwin, Crauford D. W., Canadian Economic Thought (Durham, NC, 1961).Google Scholar

8 DBS, Salaries and Qualifications of Teachers in Universities and Colleges, 1963–64, (Catalogue no. 81–203); and DBS, Survey of Higher Education, Part II: Degrees, Staff and Summary, 1963–64, (Catalogue no. 81–211).

9 Johnson, Harry G., “The Social Sciences in the Age of Opulence,” this Journal, XXXII, no. 4 (11 1966), 423–42.Google Scholar

10 Harmon, L. R. and Soldz, Herbert, compilers, Doctorate Production in United States' Universities, 1920–1962, with Baccalaureate Origins of Doctorates in Sciences, Arts and Professions (Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences–National Research Council, 1963).Google Scholar

11 A paper by R. B. Bryce, “The Economist and the Public Service,” presented to a CPSA meeting, June 9, 1967, suggests that 220 economists in the public service hold Master's or Doctor's degrees. I believe this figure to be compatible with the 300 in the text who are to be added to the 640 university professionals to reach some meaningful total of “economists and political scientists.”

12 DBS, Sahries and Qualifications, 1963–64, Table 21.

13 Hodgetts, , “Dives and Lazarus,” 89.Google Scholar

14 DBS, Salaries and Qualifications, various years.

15 DBS, Survey, various years.

16 DBS, Salaries and Qualifications, 1963–64, Table 21.

17 American Economic Association, Committee on the National Science Foundation Report on the Economics Profession, “The Structure of Economists' Employment and Salaries, 1964,” American Economic Review, LV, no. 4 (Supplement, Part 2) (12 1965), 18–19.Google Scholar

18 The University establishment for economists would appear to be growing at about 15 per cent per year, and that for political scientists even faster. On the other hand, the demand outside university for political scientists is growing relatively and absolutely slowly. The estimate of 130 new recruits amounts to about 10–12 per cent of the total stock of 900.

19 See, for example, the recent report of the Canadian Association of Graduate Schools, “Regarding Expenditure Requirements and the Escalation of Grants in the Humanities and Social Sciences,” (distributed by the AUCC, 1967). This report, evidently written by natural scientists, gives no attention to the existence or possibility of study outside Canada.

20 Scott and Grubel, “The International Migrations of Canadian Economists.”

21 Cartter, Allan M., An Assessment of Quality in Graduate Education (Washington, DC: American Council on Education, 1966).Google Scholar See also Somit, A. and Tanenhus, J., American Political Science: A Profile of a Profession (New York, 1964).Google Scholar

22 Harmon and Soldz, Doctorate Production in US Universities.

23 Angus, , “Graduate Studies,” 300.Google Scholar