Propelled for take-off? The case of early career social science researchers in South Africa

This chapter explores the extent to which doctoral programmes in the social sciences in South Africa propel their graduates to make an impact. Through the lens of capability, motivation and opportunity, examine how selected doctoral programmes in South Africa conceptualise and articulate impact and survey the perspectives of early career researchers. There has been a surge of interest in research impact in recent decades, especially in research evaluation. Although definitions and understandings of research impact vary, numerous funding and research evaluation bodies have incorporated impact elements into their research assessment frameworks. Traditionally, doctoral training was aimed at producing ‘the next generation of academics’ to be absorbed back into academia to train future academics, forming a virtuous circle of knowledge production. Since the 1990s, the topic of doctoral training has sparked great interest around the globe.