SAGE launches study into evidence-based analysis of social science impacts

SAGE has published a study into evidence-based analysis of social science impacts in the UK, 'The Impact of the Social Sciences: How academics and their research make a difference.

The three-year project conducted by the LSE Public Policy Group and sponsored by the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE), provides insight into how social sciences affect everyone, supports our economy, our society and other areas of our lives.

The project maps the size and scale of social sciences in the UK and their influence across all sectors of British society and indicates that social sciences are worth an estimated £24billion to the UK economy. The report calls for closer integration of the social sciences themselves and better co-operation with STEM (sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines.

‘Between 30-40 per cent of all UK University research takes place in the social sciences domain, providing answers to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Yet the effectiveness of social scientists has often been decried’ commented one of the report’s authors, Patrick Dunleavy. ‘The social sciences need to work much closer together with the STEM disciplines and medical sciences to tackle looming scientific and policy changes facing the world, joining forces to make better use of the ‘impact’ agenda and demonstrate how much they can contribute to the economy and society.’