Public Controversies Cannot Be Settled by "following the Evidence"
A close examination of three medical controversies shows how evidence, rather than resolving them, only takes effect when placed within instrumental narratives.
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Politicians Vastly Overestimate Public Opposition to Climate Policies, Study Finds
Politicians Vastly Overestimate Public Opposition to Climate Policies, Study Finds
Study involving 100 sitting MPs in the UK reveals gulf between perceptions of the political class and realities of public attitudes on environmental issues such as insulation and green taxes. MPs also think the UK electorate is far more divided than it is over climate policies. Researchers find statistical evidence for a ‘spiral of silence’ effect in the British Parliament.
Small research ecosystems in large international public policies: Tracing an infrastructurally mediated pathway from CroRIS to Overton
Small research ecosystems in large international public policies: Tracing an infrastructurally mediated pathway from CroRIS to Overton
Policy document citations are increasingly used to evidence the societal impact of research, yet we know little about how such indicators operate in small research systems
Have People Stopped Trusting Science? The Data Tell a Surprising Story
Have People Stopped Trusting Science? The Data Tell a Surprising Story
Some say there's a global crisis of trust - but research reveals where the real problems lie.
Three Red Flags for "evidenced-based" EdTech
Natalia I. Kucirkova outlines three ways claims about "evidence based" EdTech can be misleading and instrumentalised as part of market entry strategies.
Why the Crisis in Official Statistics Matters - and How It Can Be Fixed
Why the Crisis in Official Statistics Matters - and How It Can Be Fixed
Governments that value effective policymaking should be alert to the perils of falling survey-response rates, inadequate funding and increased politicization of official data.
Do Americans Think the Country Is Losing or Gaining Ground in Science?
Republicans and Democrats agree that it's important the U.S. is a world leader in science, but sharply diverge on how the U.S. is faring.
Navigating ecological civilisation: Polycentric environmental governance and policy regulatory framework in China
Navigating ecological civilisation: Polycentric environmental governance and policy regulatory framework in China
Amidst global environmental and energy crises, China has institutionalized its Ecological Civilisation as a transformative governance paradigm, synergising multiple policy instruments with environmental modernization. This paper utilises Grounded Theory to systematically analyse 56 environmental policies with significant energy governance components.
Science is No Longer Above Suspicion
Science is no longer above suspicion. Once trusted as an impartial guide, it is now entangled with politics, corporate agendas and selective narratives - nowher
Conspiracy Theories As Engines of Connection for Enriched Public Debates on Emerging Technologies
Conspiracy Theories As Engines of Connection for Enriched Public Debates on Emerging Technologies
Debates on contested emerging technologies illustrate how publics make sense of science and technology by making unexpected connections between scientific insights, values, hopes and fears.
How to Reduce Partisan Animosity
Matthew Levendusky, a professor of political science in Penn's School of Arts & Sciences, explains the results of a megastudy that explores whether anything could bridge the political gap between the left and right among Americans.
Understanding the science-policy interface in urban climate governance from a co-production perspective: Insights from the cases of Hamburg and São Paulo
Understanding the science-policy interface in urban climate governance from a co-production perspective: Insights from the cases of Hamburg and São Paulo
Urban governance, the interplay of governmental bodies with other actors shaping decision-making and its implementation, plays a key role for mitigation and adaptation measures in cities. While knowledge co-production is advanced as an instrumental approach to support climate action, a gap between knowledge and implementation persists.
'Politicians Don't Understand Science': Advisers Give Evidence at UK COVID Inquiry
'Politicians Don't Understand Science': Advisers Give Evidence at UK COVID Inquiry
Patrick Vallance, Chris Witty and others reflect on advising the UK government during the ongoing investigation into the country's pandemic response.
Why It's Impossible for Public Policy to Rely Entirely on Science
Why It's Impossible for Public Policy to Rely Entirely on Science
The only way an Alberta COVID-19 committee can meaningfully determine how public policy should be made is if it tackles head-on the question of how to measure the psychological impacts of policy.
A New Science of Wellbeing Will Change Policy and Decision Making
What produces a happy society and a happy life? Richard Layard and Jan-Emmanuel De Neve suggest that through the new science of wellbeing, we can now answer this question empirically. Explaining ho…
COVID-19: The Lessons That Science Forgot
Based on a survey of over 3000 researchers worldwide, Economist Impact identified important actions that should be considered if mistakes are not to be repeated during future health emergencies.
Australia to update science frameworks in renewed commitment to evidence-based policymaking
Australia to update science frameworks in renewed commitment to evidence-based policymaking
Supporting and Connecting Policymaking in the EU Member States With Scientific Research
Supporting and Connecting Policymaking in the EU Member States With Scientific Research
Scientific knowledge can help policymakers understand, identify and assess policy options. A new EU document identifies the rationale behind building capacity of science-for-policy ecosystems, as well as the challenges encountered at the science-policy interface.
The role of the past: Policy feedback and citizens' acceptance of information communication technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic in China
The role of the past: Policy feedback and citizens' acceptance of information communication technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic in China
Role of Scientific Advice in Covid-19 Policy
This article discusses why scientific advice must be separate from government decisions and evaluate the autonomy and transparency of the UK's system.
Will Paris Succeed? Research Assesses if Governments Will Make Pledges a Reality
Will Paris Succeed? Research Assesses if Governments Will Make Pledges a Reality
A new study provide scientific evidence assessing how effective governments will be at implementing their commitments to the agreement that will reduce CO2 emissions causing climate change.
How Do Policymakers Decide Whom to Help?
The article analyzes what happens when governments use predictive modeling to allocate critical resources.
Application of Theories of the Policy Process in Research on Consumption of Sustainable Diets: a Systematic Review - BMC Public Health
Application of Theories of the Policy Process in Research on Consumption of Sustainable Diets: a Systematic Review - BMC Public Health
There is a significant global lack of policy action on consumption of sustainable diets. Application of political science theories such as theories of the policy process can help in understanding policy inaction. Applying these theories could provide a more in-depth understanding of how various influences on the policy process shape decision making for consumption of sustainable diet policy.
Biden Names Former DARPA Leader As Science Adviser
Scientists applaud nominee Arati Prabhakar, who is set to replace Eric Lander following his controversial exit from the White House science office.
Scientific Evidence on the Political Impact of the Sustainable Development Goals
Scientific Evidence on the Political Impact of the Sustainable Development Goals
The study shows evidence that the Sustainable Development Goals have had largely a discursive influence and only limited transformative political impact.
Arati Prabhakar Set to Become Biden's Science Adviser and His Pick to Lead Science Office
Arati Prabhakar Set to Become Biden's Science Adviser and His Pick to Lead Science Office
Applied physicist would bring wealth of policy experience as successor to Eric Lander.
Science: When to Question and when to Trust
Pithy bumper sticker memes can't do justice to the need for understanding and judging scientific studies … especially when, as often, public policy is at play.
The Limits of "Following the Science"
Two years into the pandemic, the idea of "following the science" has oversimplified what's actually a complex array of factors that policymakers must weigh in formulating a response. Many other factors play into making pandemic policy.
What 1 Million Scientists Could Achieve in 100 Million Hours
Science is key to building resilience and averting future crises - but that is only possible if policy-makers listen to and trust in both the science and the scientists.
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