The value of publicly funded science in Argentina

Abstract

Economic crises have triggered a boom in liberal discourses in the region, with a notable emergence of an anachronistic far-right movement that defends anti-rights, denialist and neoliberal ideologies. Of note is the experience of Brazil, where Bolsonarism made significant advances against the country’s scientific sector through budget cuts, hostility towards researchers, and anti-scientific rhetoric, which had a dramatic impact on the country’s scientific and technological landscape. Under the leadership of Jair Bolsonaro, this agenda of rejection of scientific knowledge had a disastrous impact during the pandemic. Currently, Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, considers Bolsonaro as a reference, sharing the ideological baggage of the Brazilian denialist. This trend is not immune to the global rise of disinformation campaigns aimed at discrediting scientific consensus and evidence-based policies. In line with what is happening in other parts of the world, Argentina has seen a significant growth in anti-science movements in recent years, driven by a strong reliance on social media. These movements deny and discredit scientific consensus, clinical trials, and academic articles. We have observed direct attacks on prestigious institutions in our science and technology system, such as Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), based on the distortion of research results, particularly in the social sciences, or through the dissemination of fake news on social media. In some cases, these attacks occurred in the context of budget cuts to the R&D system. Here I address a threat to Argentine science in the context of the current government cycle, highlighting the importance of publicly funded science.