Improving the Quality, Use, and Utility of Social Science Research

What are the best ways to strengthen the quality, use, and utility of social science research? The National Research Council will commission a committee of leading experts to examine how to improve the way social science research is done and how it is applied to policy. The committee will focus on three central questions; 1) What can be learned from existing theory-grounded policy research?, 2) How can the development of theory be advanced to improve the quality of research and its usefulness to decision makers, and 3) How can the dissemination and use of scientific evidence be fostered and improved? The committee will commission a series of papers and then hold multi-day meetings and workshops to address these issues. Experts will be invited to give presentations and participate in panel discussions designed to engage a broad audience of both researchers and those who use research to think about strategies for improving the dissemination and use of scientific evidence.