The Value of
SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL,
and ECONOMIC SCIENCES
to National Priorities
A Report for
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Committee on the Value of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences to National Priorities
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
A Consensus Study Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 2000
This activity was supported by Contract No. 10002825 from the National Science Foundation and the Sponsor Award No. SES-1560294. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-45992-1
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-45992-3
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/24790
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). The Value of Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences to National Priorities: A Report for the National Science Foundation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/24790.
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COMMITTEE ON THE VALUE OF SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND ECONOMIC SCIENCES TO NATIONAL PRIORITIES
ALAN I. LESHNER (NAM)* (Chair), American Association for the Advancement of Science (emeritus), Washington, DC
JOHN S. CARROLL, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
IVY ESTABROOKE, Utah Science Technology and Research Agency, Salt Lake City
RALPH M. GARRUTO (NAS)*, Department of Anthropology, State University of New York, Binghamton
KATHLEEN MULLAN HARRIS (NAS)*, Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
RON HASKINS, Economic Studies and Center on Children and Families, The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC
EDWARD H. KAPLAN (NAE/NAM)*, School of Management, Yale University
RONALD D. LEE (NAS)*, Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley
ROBERT MOFFITT, Department of Economics, Johns Hopkins University
DUNCAN WATTS, Microsoft Corporation, New York, New York
YANNIS C. YORTSOS (NAE)*, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California
MELISSA WELCH-ROSS, Study Director
NATALIE NIELSEN, Senior Program Officer
HOLLY RHODES, Program Officer
DIXIE GORDON, Information Officer
* NAE, National Academy of Engineering; NAM, National Academy of Medicine; NAS, National Academy of Sciences member.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The committee thanks the project sponsor, the National Science Foundation (NSF), for its support. We particularly thank NSF staff Suzanne Iacono for her efforts in launching this project, and Fay Lomax Cook and Joan Ferrini-Mundy for providing information to the committee both in a public session at the committee’s first meeting and as requested during the study process.
At the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the committee is extremely grateful for the great leadership, dedication, and competence of the project staff, most notably study director Melissa Welch-Ross, program officer Holly Rhodes, and senior program officer Natalie Nielsen. Their efforts were central to accomplishing our mission. The committee also thanks Sara Frueh and Eugenia Grohman for their helpful assistance with editing and Dixie Gordon and Kelly Arrington for their able handling of administrative matters and meeting logistics.
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
The committee thanks the following individuals for their review of this report:
Allison Astorino-Courtois, Chief Analytics Officer and Executive Vice President, NSI, Inc., Lakeway, TX; May R. Berenbaum (NAS)*, Swanlund Professor of Entomology, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign; Sandra H. Berry, Senior Behavioral Scientist, Senior Director Survey Research Group, and Chair, Human Subjects Protection Committee, RAND Corporation; Brandon L. Garrett, Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law; Jim Geringer, former Wyoming Governor, Director, Esri, Cheyenne, WY; Jon M. Kleinberg (NAS/NAE)*, Tisch University Professor, Department of Computer Science, Cornell University; Richard G. Kronick (NAM)*, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego; Bernice A. Pescosolido, Distinguished Professor, Department of Sociology, Indiana University; James M. Poterba (NAS)*, Mitsui Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Richard J. Shavelson, Margaret Jacks Professor of Education and I. James Quillen Dean (emeritus), Stanford University; Jonathan S. Skinner (NAM)*, Department of Economics, Dartmouth College; Harold R. Varian, Chief Economist, Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA; and David H. Wegman, Professor (emeritus), Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and Adjunct Professor, Harvard School of Public Health.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Charles E. Phelps (NAM)*, University Professor and Provost (emeritus), University of Rochester, and Paul R. Gray (NAE)*, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (emeritus), University of California, Berkeley. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
Alan I. Leshner, Chair
Committee on the Value of Social,
Behavioral, and Economic Sciences to National Priorities
___________________
* NAE, National Academy of Engineering; NAM, National Academy of Medicine; NAS, National Academy of Sciences member.
CONTENTS
Why Support Research in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences?
Do the SBE Sciences Advance NSF’s Mission? Health
The Effect of Social Relationships on Health
Disparities in Health and Mortality
Do the SBE Sciences Advance NSF’s Mission? Prosperity and Welfare
New Ways to Encourage Individuals to Save More for Retirement
Eyewitness Testimony and the U.S. Court System
Bilingualism and Language Development
Willpower and Delay of Gratification
Do the SBE Sciences Advance NSF’s Mission? National Defense
Terrorism and Counterterrorism
Forecasting Political Instability
Social Network Analysis for the Military and National Intelligence
Groundbreaking Theories of Human Behavior
Understanding How People and Their Circumstances Change Over Time
Do the SBE Sciences Advance the Missions of Other Federal Agencies?
Auctioning Off Radio Frequencies
Improving National Security, Intelligence, and Counterterrorism
Do the SBE Sciences Advance the Work of Industry and Business?
Developing Internet Search Engines
Improving Safety in the Airline Industry and in Other Settings
Using the Altitudes of the World Population to Inform Product Development and Marketing
A Systematic and Transparent Planning Process
Attention to Trends in Science
