Roles of scientists as policy advisers on complex issues: A literature review

Spruijt, Pita; Knol, Anne; Vasileiadou, Eleftheria; Devilee, Jeroen; Lebret, Erik; Petersen, Arthur C.

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2014.03.002

Cited by 181 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…They understand publics not only from the perspective of groups and individuals deserving equitable shares in a world of finite resources, but in terms of their role as agents of change in a joint future forming process (Gergen 2015). The production of knowledge and innovation is therefore necessarily an outcome of deliberative democratic processes and learning among diverse actors with different knowledge and value systems, besides diverse understandings of what development and innovation mean (Dryzek and Stevenson 2011;Spruijt et al 2014). The challenge lies in crafting such transdisciplinary interactions between representatives from science, policy, business, and civil society, and in opening up processes to the point which allows actors to make meaningful contributions, i.e.…”

Section: The Umbrella Challenge Of Sustainable Development and Socialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introducing the dilemma of societal alignment for inclusive and responsible research and innovation

Ribeiro

Bengtsson

Benneworth

et al. 2018

Journal of Responsible Innovation

101

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In this discussion paper, we outline and reflect on some of the key challenges that influence the development and uptake of more inclusive and responsible forms of research and innovation. Taking these challenges together, we invoke Collingridge's famous dilemma of social control of technology to introduce a complementary dilemma that of 'societal alignment' in the governance of science, technology and innovation. Considerations of social alignment are scattered and overlooked among some communities in the field of science, technology and innovation policy. By starting to unpack this dilemma, we outline an agenda for further consideration of social alignment in the study of responsible research and innovation.ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: The Umbrella Challenge Of Sustainable Development and Socialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introducing the dilemma of societal alignment for inclusive and responsible research and innovation

Ribeiro

Bengtsson

Benneworth

et al. 2018

Journal of Responsible Innovation

101

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“…Therefore, an extension of the peer review community is suggested, which is 'not merely an ethical or political act; it can positively enrich the processes of scientific investigation' (Funtowicz & Ravetz, 1993, p. 753). In addition, PNS also urges for more interdisciplinarity to address both issues of technical uncertainty (epistemological and methodological questions) and uncertainties in policy design (Spruijt et al, 2014). The implications of this view for complex policy issues such as eutrophication and fisheries management is that the generation and application of scientific knowledge must be undertaken transparently and include a broad range of expertise and knowledge through integration of various scientific disciplines and practitioner/stakeholder inputs.…”

Section: Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge for environmental governance: probing science–policy theory in the cases of eutrophication and fisheries in the Baltic Sea

Saunders

Gilek

Linke

2017

Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning

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How science and policy interact has been a major research focus in the International Relations (IR) tradition, using the epistemic community (EC) concept, as well as in the alternative perspective of Science and Technology Studies (STS). Should science be autonomous and as apolitical as possible in order to 'speak truth to power', as suggested by EC or should the inevitable entanglement of science and politics be accepted and embraced so as to make advice more conducive to negotiating the explicit travails of political decision-making as suggested by STS? With this point of departure, we compare similarities and differences between science-policy interactions in the issue areas of eutrophication and fisheries management of the Baltic Sea. To examine how knowledge is mobilised, the concepts of 'uncertainty' and 'coherence' are developed, drawing on both EC and STS thinking. We then reflect on the explanatory value of these approaches in both cases and discuss how a separation of science and policy-making in the pursuit of achieving scientific consensus leads to ineffectual policies. Drawing on STS thinking, we urge for a reconceptualisation of coherence in order to accommodate a more reflexive practice of science-policy interactions.ARTICLE HISTORY

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“…However, their role as policy advisers is not always clearly defined. In an effort to summarize the role of expert opinions, Spruijt [14] presents an overview of the interdisciplinary literature on the roles of scientific experts when advising policymakers on complex issues, and in particular on the factors that influence these roles. Based on a structured literature search (267 publications were reviewed in total), this study demonstrates that experts' opinions vary depending on their roles.…”

Section: Expert and Stakeholder Opinions: The Scientific Basismentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining Expert and Stakeholder Knowledge to Define Water Management Priorities in the Mékrou River Basin

Reynaud

Markantonis

Moreno

et al. 2015

Water

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Participatory approaches to water management, and specifically to transboundary river management, have been widely applied over recent decades. Regarding transboundary rivers, the active involvement of key actors in policy planning is of great importance. In this context, a participatory approach has been used to identify sectors of interest and priorities related to water and development in the Mékrou transboundary River Basin involving three countries: Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. We conducted a web-based survey to quantify expert opinion on sectors of water management policy and priorities for the Mékrou River Basin. The same set of questions was then put to a sample of local stakeholders living in this river basin. Our analysis reveals some points of convergence and some discrepancies between the opinions of experts and local stakeholders. Overall, it provides a comparative analysis of how experts and local stakeholders prioritize water policy measures, which could influence decision-making.

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Roles of scientists as policy advisers on complex issues: A literature review

Cited by 181 publications

References 68 publications

Introducing the dilemma of societal alignment for inclusive and responsible research and innovation

Introducing the dilemma of societal alignment for inclusive and responsible research and innovation

Knowledge for environmental governance: probing science–policy theory in the cases of eutrophication and fisheries in the Baltic Sea

Combining Expert and Stakeholder Knowledge to Define Water Management Priorities in the Mékrou River Basin

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