Bring on the lawyers

Can the creation of science ministries actually undermine the impact of science in developing countries? This was the thesis that Calestous Juma, a long-time participant in debates on Africa's scientific and technological development, put to the closing session of the World Bank forum earlier today.

Juma's argument was relatively straightforward. Once a single science ministry is created, he suggested, other ministries no longer feel responsible for supporting research. "I know of three countries in Africa where this has happened," he said.

Nor did bureaucratic arrangements that split responsibility for science and education between different ministries help, as it inevitably led to a squabble over resources. And even focussing on increased spending for research and development could be a hindrance, argued Juma - currently professor of professor of the practice of international development at Harvard University - since such efforts did not do anything towards getting products into the market.

"The real challenge is to get something practical done," he said. In that sense, Juma suggested that perhaps lawyers (given their knowledge in navigating the constitutional terrain in advancing institutional reform) were sometimes more useful than scientists -- a comment that saw many participants departing homewards in a thoughtful mood.