Flying Blind: The Rise, Fall, and Possible Resurrection of Science Policy Advice in the United States

Abstract

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When Is Science Used in Science Policy? Examining the Importance of Scientific and Technical Information in National Research Council Reports

“…Perhaps understandably, those who commit their lives to research tend to feel that the validity warrant for scientific results is stronger than for many other form of information. There is a continuing interest in the topic, including by the very scientists who are providing policy advice (Kelly, Oelrich, Aftergood, & Tannenbaum, ).…”

Data, censorship, and politics: Analyzing the restricted flow of information in federal scientific policy development

“…Science policy, or scientific information used to guide policy decisions, plays a central role in the modern federal government . Scholars have recognized that many public policy decisions are informed by technical and scientific research and data (Kelly, Oelrich, Aftergood, & Tannenbaum, , p. 5). Often, due to the complexity of contemporary society, government relies on (or tries to rely on) scientific research to make good policy decisions.…”

“…Often, due to the complexity of contemporary society, government relies on (or tries to rely on) scientific research to make good policy decisions. However, there has been a growing acknowledgment that science policy, which may be in conflict with political and social values, cannot depoliticize public policy choices (Smith, , p. 295; see also Brosnan, ; Doremus, , ; Jasanoff, ; Kelly et al., ). Of course, science itself is a social institution that is not objective or value‐free.…”

“…Acts of political interference, such as those depicted in Figure , when undertaken by government officials and agencies, restrict access to this scientific information. Citizen access to information, particularly scientific information used for public policy, is important in a modern democracy, in which many policy decisions are based on science policy (Kelly et al., ; Stine, ). Soderman () explained that “the process through which public authorities make decisions should be understandable and open … as far as possible, the information on which the decisions are based should be available to the public” (p. 6).…”

“…In contrast, policy for science means the decisions, strategies, and regulations that the government makes about science funding and technology. Most scholars of science policy, while acknowledging that the division between the two types of science policy is not always clear, use the phrase “science policy” to indicate science for policy, research that is done to inform and guide policy decisions (Guston, , ; Jasanoff, , ; Kelly et al., ; Mitcham, ; Stine, ).…”