Community broadcasting and social impact research

Social impact research fuels normative expectations that policy processes will respond favourably to evidence-based accountability; for example in the case of community broadcasting, policy support will continue to be forthcoming where social benefits are demonstrated. A possible strategic response to public policy failures is for community broadcasters to aspire to get better at doing social impact research by improving capacity and command of research approaches and methods. This article seeks to support this effort with a critical appraisal of social impact research and whether it can succeed in making policy outcomes more predictable. It argues that a balance needs to be struck in setting community broadcasting research priorities, between that which helps to manage upwards accountability to funders and policy makers and that which supports the continuing development of community media forms, practices, and purposes.