European Union's Research Policy and the Social Sciences: Lessons Learnt and Future Prospect for the Western Balkans

Although the social sciences have been shaped by the rise of the modern nation state, until recently they have been confronted with deep transformations that European societies undergo nowadays. Moreover, they themselves are remarkably influenced by the process of European integration. In this paper, first, an investigation of EU science policies indicates how European frameworks of research specify, restrict and support their role and position within the European Research Area. Second, there are represented results of a comparative analysis of scientific journals in Slovenia and Austria displaying central topics of a growing European stock of knowledge. Third, focused interviews with sociologists in two states show how they actually identify an European dimension of social science. Conclusions are drawn in respect to the expected EU integration of actual and potential candidate countries at the Western Balkans. It is suggested that the EU dynamics of enlargement and integration lead to the negotiation of new boundaries in intellectual knowledge production as well, as manifest in consequences of European research policies, investigated with regard to indicators for scientific development.