Role of participant training in building social science capabilities in Asia

suggests that such programs have largely succeeded in building indigenous social science capabilities all over Asia. The study found that an overwhelming majority of the trainees were satisfied with the support provided by funding agencies for travel, immigration, health, family, and academic work. However, recent trainees (i.e., those who studied after 1975) were slightly less satisfied than the earlier ones. Most of the participants also expressed satisfaction with their training and found it to be quite useful to their work and profession. The findings indicate that participants did not encounter major reentry problems. They adjusted easily to their home environments and work situations and did not expect or require any help from the funding sources. Adjustment to professional work was a different matter, however. Most participants faced difficulties in getting access to current books, professional journals, and funds for research and overseas travel and felt the need for support from both national and internatinal agencies for their professional advancement. An overwhelming majority of the trainees returned home and continued to work there. Thus there is absolutely no evidence that overseas training contributed to migration of Asian social scientists to the United States or other industrialized countries. Many of the participants were occupying senior positions at the time of the study. They were secretaries, joint secretaries, and directors in governments; presidents, deans, and professors in universities and research organizations; chairpersons of public bodies and enterprises; and even top executives of business organizations. A majority of the foundation trainees went to universities and research institutions, and most of the A.I.D. participants to jobs in government. Participants who joined educational institutions were involved in teaching graduate and undergraduate students, conducting field research, and consulting with national and international agencies. Even the participants who took administrative and technical jobs often taught courses and kept in touch with the academic community. On the whole, participants have made profound contributions to the growth of various social science disciplines and the legitimization of applied research for policy formulation and decisionmaking. (Author abstract)