International panel on the value and impact of social science research

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Presentation to Canadian Federation for the
Humanities Social Sciences

• International panel on the value and impact of
  social science research
• 7th March 2009
• Professor Miriam E. David, AcSS
• Chair of Council, UK Academy of Social Sciences

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Summary of Presentation

• What is mission of the Academy of Social
  Sciences?
• What is its role vis-à-vis conduct of research?
• What are the social sciences in global context?
• Value of social science research
• Evaluation of research using social sciences
• An example from the ESRCs Teaching and Learning
  Research Programme
• Developing Dialogue on knowledge transfer and
  public engagement
• Changing value and impact of social science
  research

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Mission of the UK Academy in 21st century

• The Voice of the Social Sciences in the UK
• For the public benefit
• Promoting the Social Sciences in public arenas
  especially with Government
• Working together with learned and professional
  societies in the social sciences
• Co-production of knowledge, knowledge transfer
  or exchange
• User and public engagement for impact
• Responding to Government other consultations

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A brief History of AcSS in period of growth

• 1982 Association of Learned Societies in the
  Social Sciences formed
• Task to defend the growing social sciences
  against Government cutbacks in funding especially
  research
• Umbrella organisation for learned societies in
  social sciences
• 1996 Development plan for a new Academy of
  Learned Societies for the Social Sciences in
  changing climate
• 1999 Academy launched with 41 learned societies
  and 62 Founding Academicians including senior
  Academics and Researchers
• Cf David Turner (founding honorary secretary) in
  21st Century Society November 2007, 2 (3) pp.
  287-299

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Representative role vis-à-vis social science
research

• Academy, set up 10 years ago, now with new
  balance of representation
• 35 Learned Societies in social sciences
• 500 Academicians across all social sciences
  (mostly Academics but also practitioner social
  researchers)
• AcSS represents inter-disciplinary social
  sciences and across social sciences (no
  grant-in-aid)
• British Academy represents humanities
• Royal Society Royal Academy of Engineering
• These have grants-in-aid ie funding from
  government

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Funding of research in the (social) sciences

• (Social) sciences research chiefly in
  universities
• Funding for research split between
• HEFCE funding via Quality Research from RAE
• Research Councils(RCs), namely Economic and
  Social Research Council (ESRC)
• New AHRC for funding humanities research
• Other funding by Government departments and
  charities eg Nuffield and Leverhulme
• Strategic Forum for Social Sciences chaired by
  Chief Executive, ESRC, on behalf of RCs

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What are the social sciences in the UK?

• Changing knowledge in global contexts from
  traditions
• Anthropology to sociology and social policy
• Economics and politics/political sciences/public
  policy
• Psychology and allied social or scientific
  subjects
• Growth and challenges of inter-disciplinarity,
  scientific methods and applied or practitioner
  research
• Business and management including planning
• Cultural, educational and media studies
• Family (and therapy), gender and sexuality
  studies
• Geography and regional studies, tourism

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Value of (Social) Sciences Research

• Political global changes on social sciences
• Debate about science and research
• Increasing role of social sciences and social
  research in public/government
• Challenging notions of scientific research
• Knowledge versus evidence for policy
• Evidence-based policies (or vice versa)?
• Question of impact and knowledge transfer or
  exchange

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Evaluation of Research in/through social
sciences

• Research evaluations now challenging
• Research Assessment Exercises (RAE)
• Contested debate about the future Research
  Excellence Framework
• Bibliometrics as a quantitative method
• Peer review as qualitative evaluation/judgment
• Research Council evaluations
• Key Performance Indicators of scientific
  quality
• User or Public Engagement
• Impact policy or practice?

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Example of the ESRCs Teaching Learning
Research Programme

• Mission in 2002 High quality research on
  education, focussed on improving outcomes for all
  types of student
• Collaboration between disciplines/sectors for
  programme and dissemination of individual
  projects
• Research capacity building
• Promote involvement of practitioners in
  contributing to and using research
• Altered mission in 2005 High quality innovative
  research ..to enhance understanding and
  inform/underpin future policy, practice and
  outcomes

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Example of the ESRCs Teaching Learning
Research Programme

• Evaluation of scientific quality and academic
  impact of the TLRP in 2009
• Academic and capacity building objectives
• Research Achievements including innovation,
  inter-disciplinarity and international focus
• Value-added by organising and managing research
  in a Programme
• The criteria for assessment
• How has TLRP changed policy and practice in the
  UK and internationally?
• How has it achieved impact through its
  dissemination, networking and knowledge transfer
  activities?
• How has it added value to policy and impact
  through Programme organisation and management?

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Developing Dialogue report21st century society
vol 3 2008 supplement

• An Academy project funded by ESRC on role of
  learned societies in Knowledge Transfer Public
  Engagement conducted over 2007-8
• Joint AcSS-ESRC report launched June 2008 at a
  major conference with member and new practitioner
  learned societies
• Developing Dialogue Learned Societies in the
  Social Sciences Developing Knowledge Transfer
  and Public Engagement by John Benyon Miriam
  David

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Developing Dialogue report21st century society
vol 3 2008 supplement

• Variety of Learned Societies Size scale
  scope Income and resources Staff partnerships
  contacts Mission aims purpose Views of
  knowledge transfer and engagement
• Variety of Activities Journals other
  publications Conferences lectures Awards and
  prizes expert speakers School teaching
  resources displays and DVDs Submissions and
  responses to consultations Work with the media
• Obstacles and Impediments Purpose mission
  culture approach Relationships contacts
  partnerships Capacity money and resources
  staff and members Capacity and purpose
• RAE is key constraint on capacity to develop
  knowledge transfer and public engagement
  different and competing definition of research or
  scientific quality

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Developing Dialogue report21st century society
vol 3 2008 supplement

• Recommendations for Learned Societies Academy
  ESRC
• to develop dialogues about the value of social
  sciences research
• Learned Societies - Develop Dialogue with
  Practitioners Respond to policy, practice and
  public agendas Collaboration with non-academic
  organisations Engaging with the public Promote
  expertise of members
• Academy - develop a partnership with the ESRC and
  bid for resources Promote role of social science
  in public affairs Support learned societies
  awareness and advice training media work
  Promote cross-disciplinary KT and PE
• ESRC Develop a partnership with the AcSS on
  developing training its professional and
  financial support and use of AcSS as a conduit to
  learned societies for knowledge transfer and
  public engagement

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Changing value and impact of social science
research

• Government Department for Innovation,
  Universities Skills (DIUS) brings together
  funding of scientific research, innovation and
  universities
• Consultation on A Vision for Science and
  Society - high quality engagement with the
  public on science issues but dilemmas about
• inclusion/exclusion of social in definition of
  science
• non-social scientific definition of society
• developing scientific literacy of the science,
  policy and public communities through education
  and research
• Measuring and recognising the value of (social)
  science research in and through public engagement
  and knowledge exchange
• TLRP has had major impact on policies and
  practices and been innovative in the
  dissemination of research eg commentaries

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