Anthropology as an Applied Science

Readers of this journal do not need to be reminded that social scientists and policy makers rarely agree on definitions of public welfare or on the means of achieving it. This has been especially true when there have been marked cultural differences between welfare planners and those for whom they plan; and the more so the less the beneficiaries of the planning have had to say about their future. Insofar as anthropology is concerned, this has usually meant that anthropologists who have interested themselves in applying their knowledge very often disagree with the objectives and procedures of those who are entrusted to administer the affairs of dependent peoples. There have been many attempts at collaboration, but the record of successful cooperation between specialists on human behavior and agents of government is not a lengthy one.