Durable Academic Linkages Overseas: A National Agenda

As a nation we spend about $1 billion annually on a bewildering potpourri of international exchange and training programs. Some attention to the cross-sectional profile of exchanges resulting from the many individual programs is needed. The current mix of programs is unbalanced as to sponsor, clientele, countries covered, and purpose. Four functions of exchange and training programs are identified: (1) the export of American technology and skills; (2) familiarization with another society; (3) transnational sharing of science and technology; and (4) research about other countries. It is argued that our overwhelming emphasis on the first two purposes must be balanced by greater emphasis on the latter two. In particular, in the social sciences and the humanities the provision of opportunities to build an interacting network of scholars similar to those in the natural sciences is called for. There is also a need for an increase in the opportunities for international affairs specialists to conduct their research abroad.