WHY I LEFT SNS
Today I resigned my position at SNS (the Center for Business and Policy Studies). The reason for this decision is an internal disagreement on the policy of academic freedom for SNS researchers.
In 1997 I began to work at SNS as a research director. During the following decade I directed the SNS Democratic Audit and was the main editor of its annual reports. Since 2009 I have been associated with the SNS as part-time advisor on research policy.
An important reason for leaving my chair in political science at Uppsala University for SNS in 1997 was that SNS offered scholars the opportunity to contribute to solving current problems in society.
In fact, it could be argued that SNS had a certain advantage over universities because it gives social scientists a platform for contact with leading decision makers in both the private and public sectors and could facilitate good media coverage of research findings. SNS also encouraged cross-disciplinary research. At SNS I conducted large-scale social science research and participated in the public debate with my research results.
Over the years SNS researchers had full academic freedom. Within SNS this was a generally accepted  prerequisite for the credibility of its research reports.
Academic freedom consists of two different components: the freedom to seek knowledge, that is, to learn ("Lernfreiheit"), and the freedom to disseminate knowledge, that is, to teach ("Lehrfreiheit"). On these principles there should be no difference between SNS research and university research.
However, the current SNS management has violated the principle of academic freedom by restricting the freedom of expression of a key research director of SNS. This is why I have decided to resign my position at SNS.
Stockholm, September 21, 2011
Olof Petersson
Professor of Political Science
