Expanding the domain of policy-relevant scholarship in the social sciences

Wilson, William Julius (2002) Expanding the domain of policy-relevant scholarship in the social sciences. CASEpaper (52). Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, London, UK.

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Abstract

In this paper the author argues that social scientists need to do more to provide policy-relevant research. Rapid technological and economic change raise new issues about how policy should adjust that are not adequately addressed by older and narrower approaches. The author suggests two ways in which the domain of policy-relevant scholarship can be expanded. First, social scientists should be more flexible about the kinds of data they use and the ways they use them. Preliminary data can suggest new hypotheses, which can widen debate, and ethnographic and other qualitative methods can uncover patterns of behaviour invisible in quantitative sources. Second, social theories, concepts and ideas should play a greater role in the policy arena, shaping the way policy actors think about how the world works.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/case
Additional Information:	© 2002 William Julius Wilson
Divisions:	Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
JEL classification:	I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I0 - General > I00 - General
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2008 10:55
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 18:33
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/6397

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