Research Areas

• Science, Technology and Innovation

• Modernity and Its Institutional Issues

Courses

See SIS.

Contact Information and Office Hours

See SIS.

Elementary schooling was passed in turbulent war and post-war time and finalized in Grammer School with maturity certificate in 1954. In the years 1954-1959 he studied Economic University (with specialization - international relations) in Prague. After passing two-year military service he worked as translator (due to political constrains for ordinary job which were lifted during “Prague Spring”). In 1966 he started his professional career while he could get job in the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (CAS) and newly established unit for science studies. In 1972 he finished his PhD study (Economic Institute of CAS with topic: Economic context of research and development). In 1969 Unit of science studies fused with Institute of philosophy and sociology and its department of scientific and technological revolution. Until 1990 he was employed at in that Academy institute doing research in the field of science and technology studies; coordinated this field of research in Czechoslovakia, cooperated with colleagues from east-bloc countries and published research reports and participated in publication of books (e.g. Theory of Science, Science and Socialism).

My professional start-up was influenced by contacts and cooperation with Ch. Freeman (Sussex University), Alex King (OECD) and N. Stehr (University of Alberta) which I could establish in the second half of the 60s. The mentioned colleagues and mentors continued to support me after Soviet occupation. My specific study experience was collected in the context of interdisciplinary communication across social and natural sciences which became possible within CAS and turned up quite productive during time of political liberalisation (in the 60s it was the case of team for study of human implications of scientific and technological revolution; in the 80s the cooperation with Prognostic Institute of CAS, where alternative ways of economic and social development were studied and recommended).

After the political changes in 1990 I worked in Unit for science studies and after its closure (1992) I changed my employment in favour of research and teaching in the newly established institute of educational foundations at Charles University in Prague (later renamed as Faculty of Humanistic Studies). In between I lectured for two semesters (1994) at University of Amsterdam and University of Twente, Netherlands. At the faculty of humanistic studies I have experienced several positions (teacher, head of department for social sciences, vice-dean for international cooperation, head of research program and member of scientific boards of faculty). I was awarded decree of associated professor at Economic University (1997) for my publication and research in the field of innovations.

My teaching program is related to and supported by my research and studies in the fields of science, technology and innovation and accomplished by my study interest in the problems of modernity and its institutional issues. My lecturing is concerning the following courses: Introduction in Sociology, Sociology of knowledge (issues of social epistemology) and Sociology of Institutions. In last two decades, my research has been focused on the problems of social transformations in post-socialist countries and on the problems of innovation in the Czech republic (see the list of publications). I have been active also in the field of domestic and international scientific cooperation. In the 90s of last century my research on innovation was supported by Grant Agency of the CR; in that time, I also cooperated with Sociological Institute in follow-up studies of the transformation processes in the CR. In the years 2005-2010 I cooperated with Centre of Economic Studies at High School of Economy and Management at the project “Competitive performance of Czech economy”. I am member of scientific board of Economic Institute attached to Hlávka foundation. My foreign cooperation was framed by participation at several EU projects and membership in International Sociological Association (in the years 2000-2005 in position of vice-president of RC 23 Sociology of science and technology) and European Sociological Association.

Publications

• Foundations of Theory of Science. Academia, Prague, 1988 (co-author)

• Innovation policy issues in six candidate countries: the challenges. Directorate Central for Enterprise , EUR 17036 European Communities, 2001 (co-author)

• Gorzelak, G. Ehrlich, É., Falta L., Illner, M. (eds.), Central Europe in Transition: towards EU membership, Regional Studies association, Warsaw, 2001 (co-author)

• Müller, K., From Plan to Market: implications for S and T Systems in Transition Economies, the case of the Czech Republic. In: Brundenius at al., Reconstruction or Destruction. Science and technology at Stake in Transition economies. Universities Press, Haydarabad, 1999.

• Müller, K., Innovation policy in the Czech Republic: from laissez faire to state activism. Journal of International Relations and Development, Vol. 5, No.4 (2002), pp. 403-426

• Müller, K., Innovative Europe – Constrains and Challenges. In: Kuklinski, A. et al (eds.) Towards a New Creative and Innovative Europe, WSB-NLU, Nowy Sacz. Poland), 2007

• Müller, K., The Institutional dimensions of restructuring innovation systems in the accessing countries. In: Jasinski, A. (ed.) Transition Economies in the European Research and Innovations Area. WWZ, Warsaw, 2004, pp.26-46.

• Müller K., 2002,  Industrial resources, Economic Growth and Social Change. Sociological Publishing House (SLON), Prague, (in Czech)

• Yearbook of Competitiveness of the Czech Republic, Centre of Economic studies at economic College, annually since 2006 (co-author)

• Special issues on knowledge governance of Central European Journal for Public Policy, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2010 (co-editor)

• Special issue of International Journal of Innovation and Regional Development. Vol. 3, No. 1, 2011 (co-editor)

• Müller, K., Roth, S., Žák (eds.), 2010, Social Dimension of Innovation. Centrum of Economic Studies, Prague

• Müller Karel, 2014, Wissenschaft zwischen Staat un Zivilgesellschaft. In Luft, Havelka, Zwicker (Hg.) Zviligesellschaft und Menschenrechte in oestlichen Mitteleuropa. Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, München