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.

中文翻译：

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从生产性互动到影响路径：了解发展SSH研究社会影响力的关键维度

对科学决策者而言，影响越来越重要。科学政策研究通过研究这些政策干预措施来应对这种紧迫性，这意味着政策比理论发展得更快。这导致了“常识”影响定义的盛行：研究的社会影响是直接的经济影响，例如许可，专利和衍生公司产生的收入。这些指标被认为是研究的社会效益的弱代表，因此，科学政策做出了巨大的描述性努力，以更精确地定义影响。SSH学科在这方面一直非常活跃，因为经济指标对其社会影响的衡量很差。Spaapen和Van Drooge的“生产性互动”概念是描述多样性的一个有趣的理论发展。在本文中，我们试图认识到Spaapen＆Van Drooge的生产性交互概念所提供的潜力，但我们认为，由于“计数性交互”的实现，该概念已经丧失了。我们不仅关注生产性互动，还关注它们介导的变化，从而描述了描述SSH途径影响社会的更广泛的概念框架。通过对SSH影响的60个示例进行比较分析，我们开发了SSH途径对社会影响的类型。最后，我们通过讨论扩展概念框架的有用性并提出刺激和支持影响过程的政策措施。我们不仅关注生产性互动，还关注它们介导的变化，从而描述了描述SSH影响社会影响的途径的更广泛的概念框架。通过对SSH影响的60个示例进行比较分析，我们开发了SSH途径对社会影响的类型。最后，我们通过讨论扩展概念框架的有用性并提出刺激和支持影响过程的政策措施。我们不仅关注生产性互动，还关注它们介导的变化，从而描述了描述SSH影响社会影响的途径的更广泛的概念框架。通过对SSH影响的60个示例进行比较分析，我们开发了SSH途径对社会影响的类型。最后，我们通过讨论扩展概念框架的有用性并提出刺激和支持影响过程的政策措施。