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The Political Uses of Social Research

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  • Harold Orlans

Abstract

As scientific disciplines, the social sciences are more limited, and hence less useful to government, than either the social science "establishment" or its radical critics contend. However, as a rationale for political action and inaction, and as a mode of political discourse, they have many demonstrable uses. The social sciences are not "value free" but a social enterprise of some complexity. At the same time, the federal government is not a conspiracy but a collection of subsystems loosely brought into coherence through the combined policy functions of the President and the Congress. At one level of government, social scientists contribute an orderly collection of facts and information. At another, they contribute to the interpretation of information. But in this interpretive role, their performance cannot be understood in apolitical terms; several kinds of politics influence their behavior: personal, professional, tactical, and party.

Suggested Citation

  • Harold Orlans, 1971. "The Political Uses of Social Research," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 394(1), pages 28-35, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:394:y:1971:i:1:p:28-35
    DOI: 10.1177/000271627139400104
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