How does humanities and social sciences (HSS) research benefit society?

Abstract With governments adopting austerity policies in budget allocation for research in recent decades, demonstrating the impact of research on society has become a significant challenge for scholars in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS). For this purpose, this article systematically reviews 65 relevant sources to examine the various impacts of HSS on society. According to findings, HSS creates various instrumental (tangible economic benefits) and intrinsic (long-term non-economic benefits) values through its social and political impacts. These contributions help maintain the functions of adaptation, goal attainment, integration, and latency, ensuring the survival of society as a social system. The intrinsic social impact of HSS primarily determines the value frameworks of society and the scope of actors’ activities. While defining, preserving, and revitalizing society’s cultural patterns, these cultural and artistic activities also facilitate the efficient allocation of financial and human resources through income generation and job creation—a socio-instrumental impact that generates tangible economic benefits for society. The political impacts of HSS are more indirect, focusing on generating problem-oriented knowledge to address the challenges governments face in various social, economic, scientific, technological, and environmental fields. With the development of such practical knowledge (Mode 2), HSS research contributes to macro-level goal setting, the legislation and revision of policies, the generation and optimal allocation of financial and human resources, and the reflection of cultural values into policies, ensuring the maintenance of society’s functions of goal attainment, integration, adaptation, and latency.