Social scientists as technicians, advisors and meaning producers

Stehr, Nico; Ruser, Alexander

doi:10.4324/9781315159362-3

Cited by 3 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Based on the state of the art, we found several typologies referring to different role sets of social scientists in their interactions with society. Although these typologies are merely analytical in nature (Stehr & Ruser, 2016) and do not necessarily address scholarly roles in mass media, they can be useful for our analysis of the roles of social scientists in public communication.…”

Section: The Role Concept and Its Application To Social Scientistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…] always emerges in a specific context with particular constraints and opportunities and within the framework of specific cultural norms and conventions" (Gattone, 2012, p. 176). Against this backdrop, focusing on the production of social science knowledge within the scientific system, Stehr and Ruser (2016) distinguished three roles which social scientists can play and which determine their positioning at the intersection of science and society:…”

Section: The Role Concept and Its Application To Social Scientistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although Pielke (2007) applied these roles to all types of scholars, there might be differences in the actual roles that scholars are able to play. As Merton (1968, p. 264) stated, there is a considerable degree of indeterminacy in the social scientist's findings "in so far as they bear upon projected action," as they often do not have "the authority of reliable forecasts adequate for the purpose in hand" and thus have only limited potential to fulfill the role of technician (Stehr & Ruser, 2016) or pure scientist (Pielke, 2007), they must instead engage in a more general assessment. Following Gattone (2012, p. 181), social scientists consequently act as intellectuals in public affairs "provided that they act strategically and find creative ways to challenge conventional beliefs and infuse some degree of truth into the domain of public discussion."…”

Section: The Role Concept and Its Application To Social Scientistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such a crisis is always the result of a process of repression, one in which institutions and individuals initially overlook the signs of social change (Diamond, 2006). The state of crisis brings about high uncertainty for all involved actors, who "Technician" (Stehr & Ruser, 2016), "Pure Scientist" (Pielke, 2007), "Color Commentator" (Brewer & Sigelan, 2002) "Meaning Producer" (Stehr & Ruser, 2016), "Issue Advocate" (Pielke, 2007), "Public Intellectual" (Cassidy, 2014) Note. Authors' own table.…”

Section: Societal Crisis and Its Consequencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With the emergence of populist radical right movements in most parts of the Western world, calls have grown louder for scientists to stand up to populism and contribute to the public debate (Macri, 2017;Stehr & Ruser, 2016). This study focused on the appearance of social scientists in crisis media reporting, their ascribed roles in media reporting, and the evaluation of these roles.…”

Section: Conclusion and Outlook: Roles Of Social Scientists In The Pementioning

confidence: 99%

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Roles of Social Scientists in Crisis Media Reporting: The Case of the German Populist Radical Right Movement PEGIDA

Fähnrich

Lüthje

2017

Science Communication

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This article examines the visibility of social scientists in the context of crisis media reporting by using the example of the German populist radical right movement PEGIDA. Based on previous research, a role typology was developed to serve as a framework for the empirical study. A content analysis of German newspapers demonstrates that social scientists are quite visible in the media coverage of PEGIDA and are presented mainly in the role of intellectuals. At the same time, new roles for social scientists are also discernible. Based on these findings, an extended role typology was developed to provide points of reference for further research.

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Section: The Role Concept and Its Application To Social Scientistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Role Concept and Its Application To Social Scientistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Role Concept and Its Application To Social Scientistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Societal Crisis and Its Consequencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conclusion and Outlook: Roles Of Social Scientists In The Pementioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Roles of Social Scientists in Crisis Media Reporting: The Case of the German Populist Radical Right Movement PEGIDA

Fähnrich

Lüthje

2017

Science Communication

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Credibility in Policy Expertise: The Function of Boundaries Between Research and Policy

Williams¹

2019

Policy Studies Journal

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As science becomes an increasingly crucial resource for addressing complex challenges in society, extensive demands are placed upon the researchers who produce it. Creating valuable expert knowledge that intervenes in policy or practice requires knowledge brokers to facilitate interactions at the boundary between research and policy. Yet, existing research lacks a compelling account of the ways in which brokerage is performed to gain credibility. Drawing on mixed-method analysis of 12 policy research settings, I outline a novel set of strategies for attaining symbolic power, whereby policy experts position themselves and others via conceptual distances drawn between the "world of ideas" and the "world of policy and practice." Disciplinary distance works to situate research as either disciplinary or undisciplinary, epistemic distance creates a boundary between complex specialist research and direct digestible outputs, temporal distance represents the separation of slow rigorous research and agile responsive analysis, and economic distance situates research as either pure and intrinsic or marketable and fundable. I develop a theoretical account that unpacks the boundaries between research communities and shows how these boundaries permit policy research actors to achieve various strategic aims.

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Understanding the Societal Impact of the Social Sciences and Humanities: Remarks on Roles, Challenges, and Expectations

Fecher

Kuper

Sokolovska

et al. 2021

Front. Res. Metr. Anal.

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Science is increasingly expected to help in solving complex societal problems in collaboration with societal stakeholders. However, it is often unclear under what conditions this can happen, i.e., what kind of challenges occur when science interacts with society and what kind of quality expectations prevail. This is particularly pertinent for Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), which are part of the object they study and whose knowledge is always subject to provisionality. Here we discuss how SSH researchers can contribute to societal problems, what challenges might occur when they interact with societal stakeholders, and what quality expectations arise in these arrangements. We base our argumentation on the results of an online consultation among 125 experts in Germany (representatives from SSH, learned societies, stakeholders from different societal groups, and relevant intermediaries).

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Social scientists as technicians, advisors and meaning producers

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

Roles of Social Scientists in Crisis Media Reporting: The Case of the German Populist Radical Right Movement PEGIDA

Roles of Social Scientists in Crisis Media Reporting: The Case of the German Populist Radical Right Movement PEGIDA

Credibility in Policy Expertise: The Function of Boundaries Between Research and Policy

Understanding the Societal Impact of the Social Sciences and Humanities: Remarks on Roles, Challenges, and Expectations

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