Achieving the social impact of science: An analysis of public press debate on urban development

Aligning itself with the interactive perspectives in research on science’s social impact, this article combines the concept of productive interactions with the method of framing. We argue that this provides a more nuanced picture of the productive interactions between researchers and stakeholders in the social sciences. This approach offers a way to address changes in human valuation and meaning-making in politically controversial issues where social impact is acquired through complicated processes of public press discussion over long periods of time. The social impact of research is demonstrated with reference to the debate between researchers and societal stakeholders about urban segregation in Helsinki, Finland. The case shows how researchers challenged the established housing policy and opened room for alteration of the public understanding of urban development and segregation. The article illustrates how productive interactions, strengthened with the notion of framing, support the achievement of the social impact of science.