Social Science Space

In this first response to Ziyad Marar’s thought piece “On Measuring Social Science Impact,” professor Sue Fletcher-Watson, who represents a field where the direct purpose is to improve the quality of life for a group of individuals, shares why current metrics fall short and what we can do about it.

The following essay by Ziyad Marar is adapted from “On Measuring Social Science Impact,” published in the journal Organization Studies. To […]

The challenge of climate change is enormous and requires an all-of-science effort. Psychologists must be part of the solution.

Quantification can reformulate something as complex and multidimensional as teaching into a one-dimensional score. And such a score gives the possessor a sense of control and understanding. But, given the implications of quantification, this is an illusion.

Good social science research has ultimate social relevance. In Nigeria, however, the authors’ study shows that research evidence and policies are disconnected.

For researchers in civil society organizations publishing and collaborating with academics on mutually beneficial projects is uncommon. Oxfam’s Franziska Mager discusses the barriers and benefits to research that brings together charities and academia and how this reflects different valuations of impact.

Sheila Sen Jasanoff, one of the world’s foremost theorists examining the interaction of science and technology with human society, has received the 2022 Holberg Prize,

An open letter from World Health Organization experts urges another WHO body to use use social and behavioral science “to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.”

The underrepresentation of women in senior leadership positions across all sectors is clearly not a pipeline issue. Research points to bias as one reason they aren’t getting ahead.

As a student, recalls Bennie Kara, school was a haven. And that haven beckoned to her as she mapped out […]

All citations are not the same. Drawing on a recent study of how researchers across 15 academic fields understand the influence of the work cited in their research, Eamon Duede shows how citation plays a role both in indicating and shaping the influence of research papers.

By focusing on researchers, rather than research, Paul Nightingale and Rebecca Vine suggest research systems would be better positioned to appreciate the multifaceted ways in which fields of research, such as the social sciences, impact society.