When state support for science fails

The establishment and growth of scientific communities require long-term planning, political backing, and social and economic support. In many Latin American countries, these entities have been repeatedly shaken by monetary catastrophes, political attacks, and the lack of national and regional developmental strategies that include science and technology. Such volatility has taken its toll on the region's scientific enterprise, because science cannot advance under the vagaries of economic uncertainty, political violence, and unpredictable investment.