Social Sciences and Public Policies

In: International social science journal: ISSJ, Band 41, S. 555-566

Abstract

An assessment of the impact of social science on the formulation of public policy in liberal-democratic societies. As the postwar expansion became firmly entrenched in the 1950s & 1960s, many liberal-democratic states began to use social research for a number of policy purposes. In Europe, this trend resulted from the social measures & planning introduced by political reform coalitions who used social research to inform their policy choices after gaining power. Social scientists constituted a significant part of these coalitions & were able to gain access to resources & augment the role of social science in policy formulation. These developments were replicated in North America & contributed to the prestige & political significance of social science. The discussion is placed within the larger context of the social & political roles of intellectuals. AA