Traditionally, the social sciences have been those areas of academic study that explore the human condition. Social science is important to park management in several ways. Economics focuses on markets, industries, and economies and the ways in which they work together. Economic research can help park managers, private sector partners, state and local officials, and others by evaluating the economic impact of parks on local communities, the costs and benefits of park policies, and the role of parks in the tourism industry and the national economy. Geography treats regions, landscapes, and other physical areas as critical.
Geographers study the way people and resources relate to one another.
Geography can aid park managers through studies of tourist travel patterns, regional development, and human impacts on the parks' natural and cultural resources. Psychology focuses on understanding human beings and the ways in which they communicate with one another. Psychology can help park managers through studies of visitor experiences, interpretive media, and other forms of park communications. Political science addresses the ways people govern them selves. Research involving political science might include studies of public participation in local communities and interest groups, and of improvements in organizational effectiveness.