Work Research Institute, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.
Account Res. 2022 Oct;29(7):415-441. doi: 10.1080/08989621.2021.1937603. Epub 2021 Jun 9.
Competition and exposure to market forces can make it difficult for researchers to conduct their work with integrity. Some research organizations must acquire most of their funding through commissioned research, providing research services for paying clients. Studying such organizations can give insight into how researchers try, and sometimes fail, to balance academic norms with the need to secure funding. Based on interviews with social scientists in commissioned research organizations, this study shows how clients can exert an undue influence on the research process and how competition for funding can make it difficult to live up to academic quality standards. However, it also shows how commissioned research can be a source of identity and motivation. It involves a high degree of impact and access to good data, as clients commission research projects because they want knowledge to solve specific problems. Moreover, the participants discussed how they and the organizations where they worked learned from their experiences how to counteract the negative aspects of competition.
竞争和市场力量的影响可能使研究人员难以诚信地开展工作。一些研究机构必须通过委托研究获得大部分资金，为付费客户提供研究服务。研究这些组织可以深入了解研究人员如何努力（有时失败）在平衡学术规范与获得资金的需求之间取得平衡。本研究基于对委托研究机构的社会科学家的访谈，展示了客户如何对研究过程施加不当影响，以及资金竞争如何使得难以达到学术质量标准。然而，它也展示了委托研究如何成为身份认同和动力的源泉。它涉及到高度的影响力和获取优质数据的机会，因为客户委托研究项目是因为他们希望通过知识解决具体问题。此外，参与者讨论了他们和他们所在的组织如何从经验中学习，以克服竞争的负面影响。
