Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Reetta Muhonen
Author-Name-First: Reetta 
Author-Name-Last: Muhonen
Author-Name: Paul Benneworth
Author-Name-First: Paul
Author-Name-Last: Benneworth
Author-Name: Julia Olmos-Peñuela
Author-Name-First: Julia
Author-Name-Last: Olmos-Peñuela
Title: From productive interactions to impact pathways
Abstract: Impact is increasingly important for science policy-makers; science policy studies has
reacted this heightened urgency by studying these policy-interventions meaning that
policy has developed more quickly than theory. This has led to the prevalence of a
‘common sense’ impact definition: research’s societal impact are direct economic effects,
such as income generated by licenses, patents and spin-out companies. These indicators
are recognised as weak proxies for research’s societal benefits, and in response, science
policy has undertaken a huge descriptive effort to more precisely define impact. SSH
disciplines have been highly active in this because economic metrics are very poor
measures of their societal impact. One interesting theoretical development describing
diversity was Spaapen and Van Drooge’s ‘productive interactions’ concept. In this paper
we seek to realise the potential that Spaapen & Van Drooge’s productive interactions
concept offers, but which we argue has been lost through its operationalisation as
‘counting interactions’. We address the wider conceptual framework for describing SSH
pathways to societal impact by paying attention not only to productive interactions but
to the changes they mediate. Drawing on a comparative analysis of 60 examples of SSH
impact, we develop a typology of SSH pathways to societal impact. We conclude by
arguing the usefulness of the extended conceptual framework and propose policy
measures to stimulate and support impact processes.
Creation-Date: 2018
File-URL: https://www.utwente.nl/en/bms/cheps/research/CHEPSWorkingPaperSeries/chepswpseries201802.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Keywords: entrepreneurial university, regional innovation system university,
performance, internal structure, region
Handle: RePEc:chs:wpachs:201802