The Politics of Research

Though Martin’s “The Politics of Research” was quite a long read he really touched upon how research and information is heavily influenced by power and competition. Information has always been held by the elite, those  who had power, knowledge, and money. Badke called them the “gatekeepers” and this still holds true today. Though everybody now has access to vast amounts on information we still don’t know everything, whether its the government or a corporation who don’t want certain information leaked to the public. Research that is government funded has to follow a set agenda and they only want to look for a certain outcome. If in the process the researchers  discover something else that might be better or is not on the agenda it’s  null and overlooked. That is a very narrow minded approach as they feel it would be controversial because of unpopular opinion. This is why Martin raises the question if research should only be held by the experts or by outsiders as well. Where research should benefit the majority of the public instead of just the experts funding it. Like the medical researchers who are more likely to research new drugs to treat a health issue rather than looking for alternative methods that don’t involve the use of drugs.