E il mondo là fuori? Quando ‘sociale’ non è solo la ricerca, ma anche l’impatto

This paper is about the public impact of academic research in the social and political sciences, with particular reference to the UK, US, and Italian cases. The results and findings of social research are integral to the process of empiricization of government. However, the balance between scientific rigor and public relevance is a dynamic equilibrium difficult to legitimate, reach, demonstrate, incentivize. The final part argues new, advanced equilibria are less about the engagement of single researchers or single university departments, and more about the development of a reflexive epistemic community.