If Only We Knew: Increasing the Public Value of Social Science Research

Description

In this text, John Willinsky uses modern social issues and historical precedents to demonstrate that the social sciences can and should contribute far more to public knowledge than they have in the past. We have the technologies, Willinksy demonstrates, and need only the determination to create a public resource out of social research that can extend democratic participation and self-determination, as well as improve research's focus and public support. The book offers examples of why and how this is not only possible but necessary, in the face of knowledge-based economies and a withering public sector.

"In this remarkably thoughtful book, Willinsky explores how the wider dissemination to the general public of research results in the social sciences might lead to marked quality-of-life improvements."
-Ellen Gilbert, Rutgers Univ., 08/11/00
"Willinsky's book is an important counterpoint in the discussion of scholarly communication, which is typically treated as an economic rather than a sociopolitical or cultural issue. He argues that the crisis in scholarly communication is not just about cost but, rather, also is about the public's inability to gain access to research available in fewer libraries as a consequence of cost."
-William C. Welburn, University of Iowa, College & Research Libraries, May 2001
..."very ambitious. It is nothing less than a proposal to reorganize social science research in a new way, which would facilitate public access to it through the use of internet technology.."
-Gil Eyal, Social Forces, June 2001