The study of literature is rarely associated with economic growth, yet that is precisely the argument made by Impact Group co-founder Ron Freedman: "The Stratford Festival generates huge economic benefit for the local community. What's its core technology? Old English."

The “Cobbe Portrait” of William Shakespeare, which is believed to be the only authentic image of him made during his life. Believed to date from around 1610, it depicts Shakespeare in his mid-forties. Photo: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

The “Cobbe Portrait” of William Shakespeare, which is believed to be the only authentic image of him made during his life. Believed to date from around 1610, it depicts Shakespeare in his mid-forties. Photo: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

More Campus Research - Spring 2010 Reports

• Commercializing research: We've got the brains, now we need some brawn
• Cold pizza, destitution and your dream: graduate research
• 3D printers are adding a whole new dimension to design
• What today's researchers are working on to make tomorrow a better place
• All fired up to exploit the sun's power
• Comment: Canada needs all universities to do research
• Colleges getting due respect for research

According to Mr. Freedman, who authored a report on the economic role of social sciences and humanities research, this type of research doesn't get its fair share of credit for its contributions to the Canadian economy and society.

Discussions about the role of research in economic growth are usually dominated by the so-called "hard sciences," biomedical and technology in particular, and the Conservative government's recent Speech from the Throne was no exception, with its promises to continue investing in the Science and Technology Strategy, create a digital economy strategy and support advanced research in space-based technologies.

But many in the research community believe that focusing funding primarily on science and technology to strengthen the economy is a mistake. "The humanities and social sciences are moving to centre stage," said SSHRC president Chad Gaffield recently in a speech.

"Researchers are now emphasizing how the new economy is redefining the type of knowledge and competencies that are important for economic growth. The creators, big-picture thinkers, empathizers are becoming the new most valuable players on business teams," said the head of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council in a speech to the Canadian Club of Toronto.

Dr. Gaffield's assertion is backed up by Mr. Freedman's report. His findings suggest that industries such as media, service and banking which rely primarily on social science and humanities knowledge, account for 75 per cent of jobs in Canada, and that this research influences $389-billion in economic activity, close to the $400-billion from industries that rely on science, technology, engineering and medicine.

More important than the economic impact are the social benefits, according to Noreen Golfman, president of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. "Science and technology can't alone solve the problems of the world. Take the earthquake in Chili. How do you displace a huge number of people? You need psychology, geography, health policy."

An increasing emphasis by universities and funding councils on engaging community in research has allowed researchers to better adapt to the community's needs, explained Bernie Pauly, a University of Victoria nursing professor who specializes in homelessness. "Our community partners really want our research to be relevant to them. They tell us what the need is. So we are driven by, 'What do we need to know to solve this problem?' "

Humanities and social science research also contributed to shifting public opinion, says Dr. Golfman. "Read the comments on articles about the gay U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir. Homophobia is now not tolerated by most people. How did that shift happen? Our research has shown that it doesn't serve our society well to put people in boxes. We are changing attitudes. But how do you measure that?"

Dr. Golfman's question hints at what might be the heart of the issue: Social science and humanities researchers aren't very good at selling the value of their work to the general public or policy makers. A federal review of SSHRC written by James R. Mitchell of Sussex Circle theorized that research's contributions have gone unrecognized because "the councils have not done a good enough job of publicizing their own achievements or of linking research investments to results."

"The benefits are harder to recognize because they are more subtle," says Dr. Golfman. "We are not shaking things up in a test tube. And unfortunately the aggression with which funding has been directed at science comes at the cost of our research."

Mr. Freedman also believes that the singular focus on science and technology as an economic driver is flawed. "The problem in Canada is that the vast majority of policy is devoted to the goods-producing sectors, which are declining." Yet he sees the problem as lying not only with policy makers but also with researchers, who often balk at commercialization of their work. "There is an inherent resistance to change. A left-wing bias against business," he says. "The [social science and humanities] community needs to think about its economic role."

For SSHRC's Dr. Gaffield at least, the relationship between the economy and research is not uncomfortable but perfectly obvious, especially when it comes to technology. "The new model of innovation integrates technological invention into social context, and thus increases the need for, and value of, research about individuals, groups and societies," he recently wrote. "To understand technology is to understand human thought and behaviour — why we do the things we do and why we strive to change or stay the same."

"The challenge of analyzing, interpreting, and understanding humans is truly 'hard'; we now know that there is nothing 'soft' about the social sciences and humanities."

Special to The Globe and Mail

SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES PROJECTS THAT MATTER

Dementia and Agatha Christie

English scholar Ian Lancashire and computational linguist Graeme Hirst, both of the University of Toronto, were recognized by the New York Times as having one of the best ideas of 2009 for their work systematically analyzing Agatha Christie's late works. By digitizing 14 novels, they were able to show for the first time that Christie suffered from Alzheimer's and their research points to new diagnostic tools that will help doctors identify and treat dementia earlier.

Evaluating homelessness programs

There are thousands of groups across the country trying to end homelessness. Yet, often being under-resourced, they often lack funds to research whether their programs are effective. Enter education professor Stephen Gaetz of York University and nursing professor Bernie Pauly of the University of Victoria who teamed up with community partners to help them evaluate their programs and share their great ideas with other communities.

Coasts Under Stress

Over 70 natural and social scientists and 167 trainees from a wide variety of backgrounds came together to study communities on both coasts of Canada. The ambitious five-year program aimed to explore the short- and long-term impacts of resource management on the health of residents, communities and the environment. The result is a truly comprehensive perspective that combines formal scientific knowledge with humanist analysis and the personal experiences of people living on the coasts that will inform policy makers of the future.

Caring Minds

Dr. Megan Davis, a history professor at York University, had long wanted to share the wealth of knowledge she had accumulated about history of mental health in Canada with young people. So, together with Anne Marshall, director of the Centre for Youth and Society at the University of Victoria, she developed high-school material that teaches students to understand their own mental health and be compassionate toward others with mental illness and made it available to teachers online at the website caringminds.ca.