A research impact case study

The Grantham Institute has spent the last two years working in close collaboration with the London School of Economics Public Policy Group to deliver a research project on how social science helps shape public policy, funded by the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE).

The overall aims of the project are to “demonstrate how academic research in the social sciences achieves public policy impacts, contributes to economic prosperity and informs public understanding of policy issues and economic and social changes”.

Understanding impact is one of the key challenges facing academic researchers. In energy and climate change research understanding impacts is driven by the need to reduce carbon emissions and provide critical data on the effectiveness of mitigation policy.

The Grantham Institute has been working on these issues since 2010 in order to understand the role networked institutions can play in delivering policy-relevant research for government, business and academia.  

The final report from the research project has been completed and the executive summary can be viewed here.