Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Coutu, Arthur J.

English

Research Papers in Economics

SOUTHERN JOURNAL  OF AGRICULTURAL  ECONOMICS  JULY,  1982
DISCUSSION:  AGRO-ETHICS-EXTENSION,  RESEARCH,  AND  TEACHING
A.  J. Coutu
Dr. Johnson's paper focuses on some substan-  A  final  limitation  is  that  Johnson  makes  no
tive  and  difficult  problems  facing  agricultural  specific reference to the role of behavioral  scien-
economists  in the conduct of problem-solving re-  tists  as  essential  team  participants.  To  this  re-
search and extension. These include the kinds of  viewer, behavioral  scientists are indispensable to
research/extension  activities undertaken and the  successful problem-solving  team research.
underlying philosophies  that guide  these  efforts
within  the  land  grant universities.  This  discus-
sion  is in two parts-some  needed points  of re-  PROBLEMS  THAT CONSTRAIN  RESEARCH
finement  in  Johnson's  overall  rationale,  and  a  AND EXTENSION  ACTIVITIES
perspective  on three  problems  that he poses  as
constraints  on  the  kinds  of  research/extension  The  problems  that  Dr.  Johnson  poses  in  his
activities that faculties  in the colleges  of agricul-  paper  include:  (1) the  tendency  for researchers
ture pursue.  and teachers to prefer  disciplinary as contrasted
with  subject  matter  and  problem-solving  re-
search,  (2)  the  growing  lack of  concern  for ac-
POINTS  OF REFINEMENT  countability  by  supporters  of public  programs,
and  (3) the  lack  of understanding  and  commit-
Three  limitations  of  Johnson's  overall  ratio-  ment by administrators  of publicly supported re-
nale include:  (1) the relevance  of multiple  disci-  search and education programs  to make changes
plinary structures,  (2) the interface  of university  in institutional structures.
personnel  with public and private  decision mak-  The  first problem  concerns  the  tendency  for
ers,  and  (3) the role  of behavorial  scientists  in  faculty to be more interested in disciplinary than
problem-solving  research and  extension.  problem-solving  or  subject matter  involvement.
Dr. Johnson places great emphasis on multiple  Information is needed about why researchers and
disciplinary  structures  in most of the cells of his  teachers  prefer  disciplinary  work  and  about  al-
three-dimensional  diagram  and his discussion of  ternative approaches to this current situation.  On
the three kinds of extension, research,  and teach-  the causal  side I conclude that:
ing. The relevance  of the diagram could be made
clearer,  especially  with  respect  to  how  re-  1. High professional costs, as viewed by one's
search/extension  hypotheses are formulated and  peers,  result from association with team or
who formulates them within a multiple  disciplin-  group  activities.  Current  tenure  and  ad-
ary  structure.  In  some  settings,  multiple  disci-  vancement  processes  are  linked  to journal
plinary team  members  receive  marching  orders  articles  and  teaching  effectiveness,  that in
from administrators,  project leaders,  mathemati-  turn are individualistic  in nature.
cal model builders,  or others.  These kinds of ar-  2. The  increased number  of quantitative jour-
rangements  challenge  individualism  within  the  nal articles  that focus on methodological  is-
research community.  sues  or include  quantitative  treatment of a
Another area requiring more discussion relates  data set independent of the presumed prob-
to  the  conceptual  complexities  associated  with  lem-solving  orientation  of the  research.
how university personnel,  who focus  on subject  This is the age of even more minute special-
matter  and problem-solving  activities,  interface  ization.
with public and private decision makers.  Difficult  3. The  lack  of  demonstrated  methodologies
concerns  are  related  to  the  public  nature  of  applicable  to  multiple  disciplinary  prob-
knowledge  generated  by land  grant institutions,  lem-solving  activities.
the  boundaries  of concern  over  academic  free-  4.  The  lack  of  demonstrated  research  meth-
dom, and the multiple consequences  or the vary-  odologies  to work with normative informa-
ing goals of affected persons.  tion-information  about  the  goodness  or
A. J.  Coutu is  Professor, Department  of Economics  and Business,  North Carolina  State University,  Raleigh.
The author expresses  appreciation  to  Bobby Eddleman  for his assistance  in delivering  and revising  this  paper.
Invited discussion  presented  at the annual  meeting  of the  Southern  Agricultural  Economics  Association,  Orlando, Florida,  February 7-10,  1982.
11badness per se of problem solutions-in an  and/or failure to change institutions, was not ad-
objective  manner.  dressed by Johnson.  Some concerns  relevant to
5. The  lack  of  documentation  on  successful  this issue  were  made  with respect  to the  disci-
institutional  structures  for  multiple  disci-  plinary  preference  by  scientists-namely  the
plinary  research/extension  modes  appli-  lack  of evidence  of viable  options.  In addition,
cable  to land grant universities.  administrative  indifference  and/or  understand-
Dr.  Johnson  indicates  that  some  agricultural  ing, and the failure to  change institutional  struc-
economists  and some biological  and physical sci-  tures  may be related to:
entists in the colleges  of agriculture  tend to spe-
cialize  in their  own  science  disciplines.  He also  1. An  unwillingness  by  administrators  to
warns  that  such tendency  toward  the  disciplin-  "grapple"  with  the  uncertainties  of  soft
ary,  to the exclusion of subject matter and prob-  monies on which to build alternative institu-
lem-solving  efforts, poses a grave danger of loss  tional structures.
of financial  support  from  farmer  clientele  and  2.  An  unwillingness  by  research  administra-
relevance  to being a part of a land grant college of  tors to recognize  that a very  small propor-
agriculture.  The general  idea  is that  economics  tion,  possibly  10  percent,  of their  profes-
alone, and independent of an agricultural interest  sional  staffs are basic researchers,  and that
or understanding,  characterizes the current situa-  the  institutional  structure  for  such  staff
tion for  some  individuals  and,  perhaps,  depart-  members  differs  from the  structural  needs
ments.  Alternatives  to  this  current  tendency  of  subject  matter  and  problem-solving  re-
were not adequately discussed by Johnson.  Until  search/extension  personnel.
alternatives  are  laid  out  and  thoroughly  dis-  3. An  unwillingness  by agricultural  research/
cussed, the implications of his ideas are not likely  extension  administrators  to accept  a moral
to activate many researchers  or administrators to  duty and  obligation  to enter the ethics  dis-
pursue problem-solving  research.  cipline  that focuses  on goods  and bads.  A
A possible means to overcome the disciplinary  structural  change  that  focuses  on  moral
preference  at  universities  is to experiment  with  values  and deals with principles  of conduct
the formulation  of more  problem-focused  facul-  governing  individuals  and  groups  is  often
ties-disciplinary  researchers  and  teachers  viewed  as  inconsistent  with  the  goals  of
working  within  a  multiple  disciplinary  faculty.  publicly  supported  technological  research
Some  land-grant  institutions  have  done  this.  and extension.
There  are faculties  of genetics,  natural resource  4.  A  growing  awareness  by  research/exten-
management,  environmental  management,  rural  sion  administrators  that  a large foreign  ag-
development,  international  institutional  devel-  ricultural trade will likely lead to changes in
opment,  and others.  There  is  need to  document  price elasticities  of demand for agricultural
the reasons for the success or failure of such mul-  products.  With  such  changes,  agricultural
tiple  disciplinary  faculties.  Another option  is to  producers  are  likely  to  be  the prime  be-
encourage  administrators  to  establish,  and  for  nefactors  of new  knowledge.  If producers
agricultural  economists  to join,  commodity-fo-  become  the prime benefactors,  a possibility
cused  departments.  To  many,  including  this  re-  would  be to conduct only basic research at
viewer,  this  is  an  option  more  favorable  than  universities  and  shift  subject  matter  and
seeking  security  or  advancement  within  a  nar-  problem-solving  research/extension  ac-
rowing discipline  structure.  tivities to the private  sector.
The second problem, the slackening of accoun-  Finally, this reviewer believes that many of the
tability  by  supporters  of public  research/exten-  implications  of Dr.  Johnson's  work  are  depen-
sion,  seems  to  center  on  three  issues:  (1) The  dent upon  the development  of systems  science.
ambiguities  relating to who benefits from techni-  As this fledgling area of work matures,  the need
cal  change  in  the  agricultural  sector,  (2)  an un-  for models  that encompass  multiple  disciplinary
willingness  by agricultural  scientists  and admin-  structures  will  be  more  evident.  However,  it is
istrators  to  challenge  the  future  product  from  this  reviewer's  judgment  that  as  this  develop-
positivistic  efforts,  given  a very  favorable  his-  ment  occurs,  more  subject  matter and problem-
tory,  and  (3) an awareness  by scientists and the  solving research/extension activities will be prof-
public that  past holistic  efforts  have  tended  to-  itably  taken  over  by  the  private  sector.  The
wards non-market involvement.  pragmatists  in the private  sector  will  have  very
The third problem, administrative  indifference  effective problem-solving  tools.
12

DISCUSSION: AGRO-ETHICS -- EXTENSION, RESEARCH, AND TEACHING

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