The Impact of the Social Sciences

Simon Bastow is Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and LSE Public Policy Group. His research interests are in governance and executive politics, UK and comparative public policy, and impacts of social science. Patrick Dunleavy is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Chair of the LSE Public Policy Group. He has published extensively across UK public policy including public sector productivity, electoral systems and digital era governance. Jane Tinkler is the Head of Social Science for the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. She is also Research Associate at the LSE Public Policy Group at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research interests focus on the quality of public services in the UK, including citizen redress in UK public services and the use of design approaches in innovative change in the public sector.

The Impact of the Social Sciences is a very important book, because it shows the enormous impact the social sciences have made in business, government, and civil society. At a time when governments overly concentrate on science and engineering, they fail to understand that without the social sciences many of the physical science/technological advances would have little traction, particularly without an understanding of human and social behaviour and change. This is a must read for all, particularly decision makers in government and business.

• 1. The Social Sciences in Modern ResearchThe scale and diversity of the social sciencesThe social sciences and human-dominated systemsPerceptions of ‘impact’ from the social sciencesPART I: HOW ACADEMICS ACHIEVE EXTERNAL IMPACTS2. Social Scientists′ Pathways to ImpactsThe academic impacts of social science researchersThe external impacts of researchersProfiling different types of academic and their impacts3. Modelling the Determinants of Social Science ImpactsMulti-variate modelling of impactsThe factors shaping academic impactsThe factors shaping external impacts4. Comparing Individuals′ ImpactUsing case studies of high impact academicsExplaining high impacts at the individual levelPulling together the analysisPART II: THE DEMAND FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH5. Business and the Corporate SectorThe range of university links with businessThe scale of social sciences involvement with businessBarriers to greater use of social science research in firms6. Government and Public Policy MakingSocial science and the policy arenaThe scale of social science links to policySocial scientists’ influence on policy7. Civil Society Organizations and the Third SectorCivil society organizations and ‘advocacy coalitions’The scale of social science research links to civil societyGrowing the impacts of social science in the third sector8. The Media and Public EngagementAcademic expertise and ‘the public’Social scientists and conventional news mediaSocial science and social mediaInnovating with social science and the mediaPART III: PATTERNS OF KNOWLEDGE AND IMPACTS9. The Dynamic Knowledge Inventory and Research MediationThe dynamic knowledge inventoryThe mediation of social science research10. Social Science for a digital eraJoining up for a ‘broad-front’ social scienceRe-framing human-centred disciplines and integrating STEM and social sciencesTowards a more global social science