Sociological and Communication-Theoretical Perspectives on the Commercialization of the Sciences

TL;DR

This paper explores how self-organization and organization influence the development of sciences, using the Triple Helix model to empirically measure the balance between commercial and public interests across different scientific fields.

Contribution

It introduces a neo-institutional and neo-evolutionary framework using the Triple Helix model to analyze the interplay of organization and self-organization in science commercialization.

Findings

Mutual information in three dimensions measures trade-offs between organization and self-organization.

The model enables empirical analysis of the balance between commercial and public interests.

Self-organization operates at a global level in scientific communication.

Abstract

Both self-organization and organization are important for the further development of the sciences: the two dynamics condition and enable each other. Commercial and public considerations can interact and "interpenetrate" in historical organization; different codes of communication are then "recombined." However, self-organization in the symbolically generalized codes of communication can be expected to operate at the global level. The Triple Helix model allows for both a neo-institutional appreciation in terms of historical networks of university-industry-government relations and a neo-evolutionary interpretation in terms of three functions: (i) novelty production, (i) wealth generation, and (iii) political control. Using this model, one can appreciate both subdynamics. The mutual information in three dimensions enables us to measure the trade-off between organization and self-organization as a possible synergy. The question of optimization between commercial and public interests in the different sciences can thus be made empirical.