ABSTRACT
Interdisciplinary research is impeded by the problems of allocating costs and credits to departmental budgets as well as by the departmental and disciplinary rivalries among the faculty. As much as any function, research defines the university, distinguishing it from other institutions of learning. Significant research continues to arise from both the British polytechnics and California State universities and colleges, largely because scholars themselves hold their own research role in such high esteem. Among innovating institutions, the role of research in developed countries tends to differ from its role in less developed countries, and in both types of nations, newer institutions seek a research role different from that of the large established universities. The programs of the universities mirror Nicolaas Luykx’s view of the vital role which social science must play, especially in rural development. The amalgamation of folk tradition with scientific data represents a rare instance of demonstrable economic achievement by the integration of social science with technical research.
