Dr. Leslie A. Pal, founding dean of the College of Public Policy (CPP), has written a chapter titled “Social Sciences as an Instrument of National Development? The Case of Qatar,” that has been published in a new book which opens a debate on the contemporary relationship between the state and academia.

Political Science in the Shadow of the State: Research, Relevance, Deference was edited by Rainer Eisfeld, Osnabrück University, Germany, and Matthew Flinders, University of Sheffield, UK, and published by Springer International Publishing. The book offers “the first comparative analysis of how both democratic and autocratic politicians are seeking to control the research funding landscape” and “reveals a very worrying shift in the relationships between the state and universities.”

Distinguished academics from across Europe, North America, and Australia examine the link between scholarship and democracy, asking what role academics play in sustaining democratic values, and why concerns about the ‘hollowing-out’ of democracy should include a focus on the changing governance of higher education.

The chapter by Dr. Pal discusses the case of Qatar, its research funding priorities and strategies, and the fact that the country’s post-secondary education and research institutes are instruments of national development.

Political Science in the Shadow of the State can be purchased as an eBook here.