 by: Dyah Hapsari ENH

Social science as normal science can play equally with the natural science in knowledge production, since not all the living problems can be satisfaction terminated by the natural science. Even in the first stage of its development social science (the positivism and the ontology perspective) tend to imitate the rule and the pattern of analysis from the normal science. In development, the social research science produce the integral and sustainable development, even in university development seemingly imbalance with the knowledge production of the natural science.
Social sciences research role as one of the pole in development still debates in decades, besides its inability to make the balance with the knowledge production compare with the natural sciences research, social sciences research also face the complicated situation to gain scientific and public recognition through its knowledge production.
Through decades the situation gradually changed, since the realism that not all the live problem can be solved satisfaction by the natural science. Social sciences research give the bone to the systematical problem solving, with its systematical approach, because the problem solving need the integrated knowledge from social and natural science, and almost all the successful of development effort is the result of the intermingle of social and natural science through their knowledge production.
The Role of Social Science:
As the study about human and the society, social science can be stand equally with normal science. This statement has emphasized by Khun. He said if the paradigm just focusing in the normal science. It will be followed by the anomaly, crisis, and than revolution in order to develop the new paradigm. Paradigm for Kuhn must consist of: a.
Based on the community structure. b.
Constellation of Group Commitments. c.
The arena of Shared Examples. d.
Give the chance for tacit knowledge and Intuition. e.
Provide the exemplars, Incommensurability, and revolutions.

Paper presented at The 5
 th CRISU_CUPT Conference Chiang Mai Thailand, 7-9 July, 2010
Dean of Social and Political Sciences Faculty, Sriwijaya University , email: dyah_enh@yahoo,co.id

Reflected from the Khun statement we can make assumption that in the development of science in general, social science plays the equally role with the natural science, since not all the living problems can be satisfaction terminated by the natural science. Even in the first stage of its development social science (the positivism and the ontology perspective) tend to imitate the rule and the pattern of analysis from the normal science.
In the next stage of its development, social science finally finds its own format in knowledge production. Social Science finally claims its superiority over the tradition, rumor and hearsay, journalistic knowledge and the common sense.
The problem is after the development of many competing theories, its seem quite difficult how to explain the particular phenomenon around the social problems themselves, until different models of reality lead some differences in problem solving. The differences is start from the proportion about what the reality is, ways of establishing what can be accepted as real, strategies for validating our claims, and the techniques for data collecting.
In term of application, social science plays the board role in the context of: 1.
Developing economy and the needs for reformation. 2. NGO and lobbyist in advocating from the hard or even advocacy by the purse. 3. Social scientist research application. 4.
Policy-makers based on a well-applied research study.
In the further more, the social science role will develop toward to the more applicable and has the great role in answering the daily needs of the mankind, through its ability in:
1.
Promoting public interests vise versa with the personal/private interests through research and training.
2.
Identifying key issues of the problems.
3.
Undertaking scientific and empirical analyze, and assessments (such as: costbenefit analysis, econometrics, etc.)
4.
Undertaking stakeholder analysis and political economy types of studies (such as: the policy process)
5.
Undertaking institutional analysis (such as: organizational development)
6.
Undertaking behavioral analysis (such as: role of incentives, norms, etc.)
A.
Social Science Research:
Meanwhile social science role is knowledge production for the development, social science research through its methodology will produce the social transformation.
Social science research provides the series of theories and model of problem solving, policy formulation, advocacy, program and project of planning, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, even community activities, and interventions.
On the other hand social science research also gives the alternatives of positions and perspectives of the researchers while they conducted the research and while they see the reality condition in the society as:

Structural Functionalist Perspective: This perspective emphasizes that cause harm to the people, especially because the interdependent and the

function as an organism is disturbances, instable, and when the consensus among them on norm and values is already change. Society is defined as a part of interdependent and functions as an organism.

Conflict Perspective: This perspective emphasizes social conditions that cause harm to people, especially societal condition that create poverty and inequality of class and power. Society is defined as a conflict of various interests, and whereas some people are able to meet their needs and desire in society, others are systematically excluded and harmed. Sexism, racism, and harmful economic condition are especially singled out as problem and causes of other problem.

Consensus Perspective: This perspective tends to emphasize those social conditions that threaten the continuation of society of society as it is. Its major concerns are too much disorder in society, too little consensus, and too few institution that work well to uphold society as we know it. The questions here are “What is going to happen to us as we become less and less committed to society as institutions fail to do what they have traditionally done?”

Interactionist Perspectives: This perspective also known as constructionism, this perspective highlights how social conditions become social problem through communication (interaction) and definition. The interactionist emphasize the idea that social problem exist because certain conditions are identified in society as unacceptable. The question for the interactionist interested in social problem is “How do people successfully influence others to accept what they regard as a social problem?

Postmodernism/Post Structuralist Perspectives: This perspective as the alternative perspective try to criticizes the emphasize that already accommodate by the other perspective, and try to completed what is has not in the other perspectives.
B.
Social Science and Development:
In social science, one of the most suitable methods and models in development is participatory development, since it starts with the theories and models of an empowerment-oriented people-centered development. This method and model necessarily make a sharp break with the assumption that scientific positivism and conventional development theories in recognizing the complexity of human affairs and accepting instability, openness, fluctuation, disorder, and creativity as the natural order of things are fail.
Chambers and other development practitioners start to advocate this method and model in development with the embodied thinking namely rapid rural appraisal
(RRA) and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) approach in the late 1960s and around early 1970s. This approach finally adapted by many agencies, governments and financial institutions. Chambers would prefer PRA to be remembered as participation, reflection and action from the people as the grass root, but they must be empowered as the subject of their needs of assessment of the development for their own.

People participation in development is the answer when the old approach of development cannot answer the development problems satisfactionaly, this approach finally develop again to be the community development, the principles of these two methods are similar where people get involved to help themselves in action through the empowering and understanding their situation and what happen in their mind. The process of this method is by the people and brought them together to work to solve their problems, generally through the social changes strategy, and try to promote positive changes in the community through the stages.
University development is a method and model of development inside of the university; in their interaction to the internal and the external interaction. The successful of university development depend on how internal institution condition itself, started from the leaderships, strategic planning, costumer focus, workforce focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, and process management, and the results will be combine with the external factor such as environment, relationships, challenges. These internal and external factor will interact as the stakeholders.
Stakeholder become a serious topic to discuss when the problem of development was not merely how to attaint its goal and the process to attaint it, but more at the emphasizing how to recall every helpful contribution in it process and who will get the greater benefit from it.
In the next step, when the discourses of civil society become a universal notion, the perspective of the stakeholder becomes more intricate. Generally, stakeholder consist of the whole parts of the government/state and people/community or people organizations such as; NGO’s, Resource Institutions, Academics, Religious, Business
Persons, Mass Media, and Privates.
Stakeholders’ work mechanism is a reflection of the advanced democracy, where all parts of its will solve all the problems openly until the best solution is attaint and satisfy all of the parts. The principle of goal attainment is none of the part will get more benefit while the other part lost more benefit.
By looking at the Malcom Baldrige model, its clearly describe that leadership take the central position to perform the entire excellence dream in the realism through the well preparation of the institution vision, and the stakeholders’ work management.

Source: 2009-2010 Education Criteria for Performance Excellence
C.
The Role of Social Science Research in University Development:
As the last part of this paper, I try position myself through the reflection of what has been done by the social science research to the university participatory development. Some standpoints that I can highlight here are:

Scientific methods and the positivism is not a guaranty that they can produce the better development.

Participatory Development Research is the bridge between social science knowledge production of development and the action, because of:
1.
The product is the dialog from different backgrounds, different realities and interpretations.
2.
Promoting inclusiveness between the knowledge production and the utilization.
3.
Give the mind set in data gathering and other entries that are needed in the process of development.

Social Scientist through its research plays the role as the part of national building force, mediator, the facilitator in community development, and the creator of knowledge production.

Conclusion
Social science research at macrosocial level issues has the strong obligation to keep their inherent values and moral, and to maintain its utopia and ideals without the illusions.
The advance stage of social science research contributes to the social engineering with its piecemeal and systemic approach. The new dimension and horizon of development planning gives the biggest portion of social science research to enact equally with the natural science.
Recommendation
Through this forum, I really want to make all the dream come true, I believe that we can spur and move the excellence of social science research collaboration and education between Indonesia especially Sriwijaya University and the Universities in
Thailand to follow up the agenda of the improvement of the scientific standing of social studies base on the fact the need systemism approaches in ontology, methodology, scientific adopt realism, dig-up, analyze, systematize, and review of presupposition social studies.
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