USERS AND SOCIAL-SCIENCE RESEARCH - POLICY, PROBLEMS AND POSSIBILITIES

Recent times have seen a significant reorientation in public funding f or academic research across many countries. Public bodies in the UK ha ve been at the forefront of such activities, typically justified in te rms of a need to meet the challenges of international competitiveness and improve quality of life. One set of mechanisms advanced for furthe r achieving these goals is the incorporation of users' needs into vari ous aspects of the research process. This paper examines some of the c onsequences of greater user involvement in the UK Economic and Social Research Council by drawing on both empirical evidence and more specul ative argumentation. In doing so it poses some of the dilemmas for con ceptualizing proper user involvement.