The Generations in Science: A Sociologist's View

The focus of the study in the present article is the cadre situation in scientific organizations in the post-Soviet space. The older generation in academic institutes is increasingly predominant owing to the natural aging of scientific personnel along with a slower influx of young people. At the same time, older scientists serve in the role of preserving continuity. The problem is how to find a way to overcome the imbalance between the age and qualification structures of the scientific potential. An issue that is especially important in regard to the production and reproduction of scientific knowledge is the ratio between innovation and tradition. (Contains 2 endnotes, 3 figures and 6 tables.)