Macrostructures, careers and knowledge production: a neoinstitutionalist approach

Scientific careers are theoretically and practically important because they link individuals with institutions as well as social structures with knowl edge production. These mediating functions have to date not been systematic ally dealt with. In this article, a neo institutionalist framework for the analysis of careers in science is developed. Careers in science are treated as products of overlapping institutions belonging to the different social contexts in which scientists act simultaneously. These contexts (their spec ialty, society and employment organization) yield specific institutions tha t shape different work roles, which can be analytically distinguished. With regard to a specialty's knowledge production, four different career stages (apprentice, colleague, mentor and sponsor) can be distinguished on the ba sis of dominant work roles. Society's institutions (e.g., language, educati on and employment system) structure the international specialties, which ca n be said to consist of national subsets. Organizations provide work roles that integrate knowledge production into the employment system. Job sequenc es become institutionalized as career lines that structure international in ternal labour markets. While there is agreement in the literature that acad emic organizations do not provide internal labour markets, so far it has be en neglected that specialties have these properties. The stability of these international internal labour markets currently seems to be endangered bec ause both organizations and specialties can only balance the conflicting de mands for fixed-term contracts and permanent positions when they grow. As a conclusion of the theoretical discussion, a research program is outlined.