6533b85dfe1ef96bd12bdd0d

RESEARCH PRODUCT

More of the same? A study of the funding practices of The Research Council of Norway’s Programs for Mental Health in the period 1995 to 2015

Inger Beate LarsenAnders Johan W. AndersenBengt KarlssonMarit Borg

subject

Empirical dataResearch groupsbusiness.industrymedia_common.quotation_subjectPublic administrationPublic relationsMental healthOriginalityResearch councilPolitical scienceResearch questionsService userbusinesshealth care economics and organizationsGeneral PsychologyPeriod (music)media_common

description

The objective of this paper is to examine the funding practices of The Research Council of Norway’s Programs for Mental Health during the time period from 1995 to 2015. The paper’s foci are on funded research groups and professions, main topics, and research questions. The empirical data consists of 138 project abstracts. The findings reveal a discrepancy between the national policies and funding practices during the program periods, where narrow knowledge development like biological, genetic, and neurological is given priority. Research focusing on community mental health and living conditions is rarely funded. The paper discusses decision-making practices, revealing that new research groups and projects that attend to more comprehensive mental health issues are rarely funded. This is a paradox in our modern days with innovation, originality, and service user involvement on the agenda.

https://doi.org/10.15714/scandpsychol.3.e13