Domsa Károlyné, Fekete Gézáné, Kovács Mária (szerk.): Gondolatok a könyvtárban / Thoughts in the Library (A MTAK közleményei 30. Budapest, 1992)

KÖNYVTÁR ÉS KORSZERŰSÉG – LIBRARY AND MODERNITY

Comparative research in Europe: the Vienna Centre and Eastern Europe. The second is that cooperation under the umbrella of the Vienna Centre is broader than West European, EEC-oriented cooperation, to which much West European international research seems to be directed in the first instance. This is a view shared by many of the researchers who are involved. A Non-Governmental Organisation The most obvious advantage of a non-governmental organisation is its readiness to meet scientific development needs without administrative or bureaucratic constraints. Status as a non-governmental organisation guarantees independence from direct political intervention in research hypotheses, data and its interpretation. A non-governmental organisation is free to select its participants according to scientific standards, i.e. standards of quality and expertise. A Multilateral Organisation A multilateral organisation has some comparative advantages of its own. A 'balance of power', broad and varied perspectives, lack of a limitation to national interests are all good examples of this. It also brings some more general weaknesses: a certain readiness to look for common denominators at the lowest level, an inflexible structure and resistance to change. At the moment, all of the Centre's external forces are acting towards new ideas and change. Hardly any of them resist these, and therefore the general weaknesses of multilateral organisations should not become a source of threat under the current conditions. On the contrary, the comparative advantages of the Centre should come to the fore. The Vienna Centre offers a distinctive experience in multilateral East-West cooperation in the social sciences. It can and should support the reconstruction of the social sciences in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It should meet their needs for cooperation with the West. Its multilateral approach can give some balance of power and broad, varied perspectives to all the social science communities involved. This should help to avoid a situation where the communities of Central and Eastern Europe depend mostly on national and supranational communities in the West, and the Centre should continue to provide vital support for the development of equal cooperation between social science communities, each on their own terms. This can only be achieved through cooperation with the Gondolatok a könyvtárban " 157