Is there any justification for academic social science?

The role of academic social science in relation to policymaking and practice has seen extensive discussion and disagreement in recent years. An essential starting point for our understanding, argues Martyn Hammersley, is to distinguish among the different types of social research, especially between academic work and more practical forms of inquiry. We need to start presenting a more realistic justification for our work, and for why it warrants public funding. But we must also be clear that the indirect and elusive character of social science’s contribution does not mean that it is meagre or insignificant.