Value to and from society

The social sciences play a crucial role in generating new knowledge and in applying and making use of knowledge discovered in other fields. Many people in the social sciences are  helping to create a more inclusive and creative society, both through their own research and through their social activities. Today, security issues are more often than not specifically social issues.

The social sciences are indispensable in calculating the legal, economic, moral, and social impact of innovations and new applications of knowledge, and as such they contribute directly to the needs of businesses, government, and society at large. Recent research on science ecosystems even shows that social science research underpins at least half of the functional innovations in Latvia that are related to user experience, design, strategy, market adoption, and flow management. Social sciences play an integrative role in improving governance, often in partnership with the media, by critically questioning societal habits and dominant discourses.

The general digital transformation is bringing information and communication technologies, social sciences, and humanities closer together in new interdisciplinary ways. By researching and spreading digital literacy, the social sciences contribute to profound changes at all levels of the education system.