The impact of impact

Abstract

Impact is at one and the same time an object of derision and acclaim, anxiety and confidence. It is a troubled terrain, discussed from quite different directions, and there seems little prospect of developing a common conversation between those who traverse it. This reflective paper seeks to outline a common core of questions that define the impact of impact. While it offers no answers to them, it establishes the grounds on which the debate can at least be taken forward in the future. These questions are: What is impact? Impact for whom? What are the domains in which it is displayed? What are its indicators? How is it measured?. © Beech Tree Publishing 2011.