Often social sciences are wrongly regarded as an area of study that does not produce a tangible impact. However, this is far from true. Social sciences research benefits have a deep societal impact in areas such as economy, quality of life and effectiveness of public policy.
The contribution that it makes in economic sectors can mainly be seen in the creative and cultural industries, heritage and tourism. In this case, for example, the material from research in social sciences feed the industries in publishing, film, broadcasting, tourism, among others.
But this input is not focused only on the economic sectors mentioned above. Social sciences research plays a key role in the development and reskilling of workforce. Thanks to research, citizens can regularly update and develop new skills; as well, the society is informed and provided with context in relation to technological innovations.
Other positives societal impacts of research can be found in areas such as the development of critical and independent thinking; dissemination of important social and cultural values; elaboration of educational and cultural activities of benefit to the individual and critical to quality of life – research in gender, for example, has had an incredible impact in society; the improvement in the delivery of public services and the proper organization of the welfare state. Equitable, inclusive governance, mutual benefits among communities, humanitarian, and academic partners, reciprocal knowledge translation, incorporation of communities theories into the research, are also some of the key benefits
Social Sciences and Co-production
It is important to also consider that a key benefit of social sciences research is that, through its methodology, it involves the needs and initiatives of communities. Concepts like co-production can be a good way to explain the methods in research of social sciences. These participatory methods can help to include and foreground community voices in decision-making, map community-relevant needs and figure out how to address them in ways that are beneficial and constructive to communities, which can lead to promoting their inclusion across all levels of humanitarian decision making.
