The Impact of the Social Sciences: How Academics and their Research Make a Difference

In the modern globalised world, some estimates suggest that around 40 million people now work in jobs that ‘translate’ or mediate advances in social science research for use in business, government and public agencies, health care systems, and civil society organisations. Many large corporations and organisations across these sectors in the United States are increasingly prioritising access to social science knowledge. Yet the impacts of university social science continue to be fiercely disputed. This key study demonstrates the essential role of university social science in the ‘human-dominated’ and ‘human-influenced’ systems now central to our civilization. It focuses empirically on Britain, the second most influential country for social science research after the US. Using in-depth research the authors show how the growth of a services economy, and the success of previous scientific interventions, mean that key areas of advance for corporations, public policy-makers and citizens alike now depend on our ability to understand our complex societies and economies. This is a landmark study in the evidence-based analysis of social science impacts.