social science

social science

The Impact of Social Science Research on Society

1. Introduction to Social Science Research

The social sciences were designed to unravel the complexities of society and deal, not in propositions and computer data, but in human understanding. It starts like a thumbnail history of the origins and development of brooding social problems, embodied in political institutions, and eventually borne either with tops and strings of public policy and then deep into the main arena of practical life. If social science can crystallize practical judgments on structuring public life, what is its potential for growth and contribution? What is there for social scientists to controversy? What will endure? The recent cafeteria of social science is certainly scudded with morsels that are not easily digestible, and it is hard to see what contribution they could have made towards keeping the original tenets of science as a catalyst or inhibitor of decision, to be conducted by the simple rules available from the natural sciences, to promote or condemn activities according to whether the orthodox beneficence rules were satisfied.

Social science cannot provide definitive solutions to violence or injustice, but its tools of analyzing where specific social qualities come from and how they are sustained can help formulate understanding, perspective, and a careful long-term strategy. It is possible to address the national problems of the day, and it is important that we work in that direction. Social science is both the fruit and the root of progress. In the short run, many social scientific innovations are likely to bring problems in their train, given the inescapable fact that society has countless opportunities and, at least in the near term, the will to use those opportunities destructively. But also in the near term, social scientific insights will provide chances for the amelioration of a variety of social defects and the enhancement of opportunity. Over the longer run, social science may provide the same variety and richness and resilience in our institutions of control these problems that it has enabled humans to capture in technology for manipulation of nature and in the economic systems within which they daily live.

2. Key Theories and Methodologies in Social Science Research

In using the terms ‘philosophy’, ‘science’ and ‘social science’, it is argued that the methods whereby a company operationalizes social research account for procedural or communal steps about how the research work is conducted and the scientific or well-founded decisions made about that research and the research output. ‘Methodology’ is a fusion of the terms ‘philosophy’ and ‘science’ or the methods that direct the philosophical and scientific elements of research practice. ‘Social science’ comprises both of these philosophical and scientific elements, but also applies specifically to the research field not generally accounted for within current research-based paradigms. It is suggested that ‘social science’ research seeks at human phenomena, their existence and ecological meaning, societal constructions and ways in which such phenomena and ways are interpreted, explained and recognized. Unlike a number of scientific knowledge projects, social science is as much about uncovering the social meanings as it is about accumulating factual evidence of social phenomena.

The field of social science is exciting, cut-through and magnificent, but also complex and often externally critiqued. The internal philosophical prophets of legitimacy about the purpose, process and outcomes of social science inform a unitary paradigm and at times are caused by the many paradigm answerers from within overlapping fields within the social sciences. Researchers will need to display the competencies required to utilize the rich philosophical and theoretical toolbox of social science research that not only facilitates research activity but also describes and defines social phenomena to a wider and at times interested audience. There is an expectation that scholars draw upon the range of tools, methods and techniques across the disciplines to maximize insights, deepen knowledge, promote applicability and champion the facilitation effect that an evidence and facts base will create from social science research.

3. Applications of Social Science Research in Policy Making and Decision Making

Schools of thought of the kind explored in the social sciences often lend themselves to rigorous systems of logic. Indeed, this is one reason these schools have grown up. But these logical constructions are based, to begin with, on a relatively small number of simple, prototypal concepts. By the time they are applied, these concepts have become buried under successive layers of abstract formalism. They thus tend to become unresponsive to the real requirements of the policy-making process; so much so that when key values are at stake, the gap between the logical requirements of a policy-making calculus and the values often becomes so wide—indeed, unbridgeable—that it fosters an opposition between intellectual analysis and intuition. In this paper, I will examine reasons why social science methods may lack credibility and therefore persuasiveness for policy makers, and propose ways in which these methods may better serve the needs of individuals and social institutions for sound learning, planning, and decision making.

4. Ethical Considerations in Social Science Research

Perhaps the gravest fear concerns the question of unwanted influence rather than intrusive exception from social science inquiries. In this area, a whole set of concerns arises regarding the relationships between research firms, not-for-profit organizations, and various businesses, particularly those involved in the marketing of consumer items. To what extent can business-oriented social research be used for manipulative ends? Determine a threshold question from a high level of observation that is by necessity non-participatory, and from professional or experimental plans. The relevance for individuals from different groups, specifically participating and non-participating subgroups, with potentially significant financial implications for reward systems.

Concerns have been expressed about research that might be seen to threaten valued norms and felt obligations with regard, for instance, to privacy, confidentiality, anonymity, and informed consent. Intrusions of all types are easier to justify if they are with respect to research upon organizations, public or private, than upon persons or groups of people. Similarly, client-initiated research is subject to additional scrutiny for potential harm and use.

Finally, I must turn to more specific ethical considerations in social science research. One very important factor in the relationship is the fact that for certain types of research, there may often be very serious long-term and wide-ranging effects. There are at least two aspects of this to consider: the types of consequences that can be envisaged and the ways in which they depend on the kind of research being done or the greater interest and direct personal relevance to the subject of social science inquiries, even at a detailed level.

5. Future Directions and Emerging Trends in Social Science Research

How have twenty-five years of administrative and academic restructuring affected the work of sociologists and other social scientists around the world? How has this restructuring affected the ability of universities to make profound contributions to the world of the 21st century? Although social scientists cannot predict – or, for the most part, control – the vicissitudes of political and popular fashion, it is most certainly within their power to form broad social and intellectual coalitions by putting social sciences’ unique cultural capital to work in collaboration with other advocates of education as an essential public good, in the public interest. The twenty-first century brings almost daily reports of particular people and places suffering from natural disasters or human atrocity. Such events have increasingly intertwined societal and individual welfare to the point that most now recognize the fact that the globe shares a common destiny.

The various discussions of future directions and emerging trends in social science research provide a rich testament to the many ways that such scholarship can, and likely will, continue to impact society. The following areas are especially noteworthy: Four broad themes – globalization, changing populations, the world as a risk society, and knowledge – provide avenues of inquiry central to the social sciences. All social sciences share substantial common ground and methodological tools that can be employed to engage these themes. The social sciences are critical to addressing many global and domestic competitiveness challenges, and addressing them over the long-term will require sustained federal investment in the various social sciences.