Knowledge emerges out of perceived lacunae in existing fields and the pioneering futuristic ideas of enterprising and creative minds. The social sciences emerged in the nineteenth century out of this perceived need to tackle the newer and varied issues emerging in society due to industrialization. Various disciplines of social sciences emerged out of the felt need that specialized and differentiated disciplines required to be created to address the range of problems being thrown up by dramatic changes in society.
Thus, Political Science and Public Administration grew out of the necessity to understand and tackle the problems resulting from the transformation in the relationship between the individual, political and administrative aspects of the society and the state. The study of Political History, Political Theory, State, Ideology, Political Institutions, Administrative theories, Bureaucracy and its institutions, etc. was started to gain insights into the processes of government with the intention of improving the conditions in society.
However, it was perceived that this historical, descriptive study of political and administrative structures and institutions did not sufficiently help to alter or improve individual and societal conditions. While these studies were contributing to academic analysis, they did not have a direct impact on improving the quality of human life. It was more or less accepted that social sciences had little or no practical application. This realization made the scholars feel that social sciences should provide solutions or at least approach the actual problems of the society.
Early in the twentieth century, the thought of applying the research methods of Pure Sciences in social sciences to bring about change in them came forward. To an extent, emphasis on empirical investigation and scientific methodology did lead to clear quantifiable results in a few areas like Psychology, Economics and Management. The relevance of social science research and its increasing applicability was amply demonstrated after 1920s. Increasingly, social sciences were seen to be emerging out of their ivory tower of metaphysical and theoretical constructs to handle common problems and issues.
Economics was the first discipline to find acceptance in both the government and the general public. The World War I and its repercussions were well analyzed and managed by economists, who found acceptance in the corridors of political decision-making. After the Great Depression, it became an integral part of all government offices. Further, theories of Psychology and Sociology, which until recently were bound within the confines of libraries and universities, were getting used to explain and tackle various issues in societies. Sociological theories, Psychological experiments and Economic Policies were creating new frontiers and boundaries for social sciences, leading to two developments. On one hand, recognizing the potential for growth, these disciplines were experimenting on novel and innovative themes and concepts which could directly be used by the society. On the other hand, the State and its governing organs were looking forward to the academicians to provide the non-state actors with the solutions and alternatives to handle practical issues in the society.
The interwar period and the World War II were charting new fields and parameters for the social sciences, which could handle various tasks effectively and efficiently. Managing the socio-economic problems of the Great Depression, financing of the war, logistics, communication mechanisms during the war, administrative organization, resource allocation, rehabilitation, political accountability - these were the prime issues of this time and they showed the prospects for the Social Sciences.
Scholars began to deliberate the prospects of pooling knowledge, insights and methodologies in order to resolve common tasks and issues. Higher education, specialization and research in newer areas like decision making, scientific management, operations research, decision theory, etc. contributed in extending the scope and focus of the social sciences in 1930s and 1940s. The need and opportunity for the emergence of a new discipline dedicated to Problem Solving arose out of these conditions. The idea was a concretization of the mood at those times which were seriously grappling with the material, physical, financial, psychological, intellectual, social, philosophical, individual and societal implications of the World War II.