Transformation of the Research Systems of Post-Communist Central and Eastern Europe: An Introduction

Abstract

The radical transformations in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (C&EE) have prompted a growing body of scholarship concerned to analyze both the dramatic decline and the de facto restructuring of research systems throughout the region, and future opportunities for rebuilding them. This paper provides some basic background information on how science and technology (S&T) were organized before the transformations, and the changes since. It then briefly indicates why the topic is important for the field of science and technology studies (S&TS), and describes some trends in the development of S&TS in and on C&EE, before introducing the individual contributions in this Special Issue.