Four ways to take the policy plunge

Abstract

Few scientists are trained to be policy advisers. Many academics look askance at politics, as though there might be something unseemly about bringing their research to bear on problems of the day. This is probably not so much from disinterest as from a lack of experience in real-world policy debates and of an academic incentive to participate in them. Happily, the book by Roger Pielke Jr on the engagement of scientists in policy offers a pithy, insightful basis for discussing the contributions scientists can make to advising policy-makers. ... But his view of issue advocates is excessively disparaging. Although a scientist who takes a strong position on policy may not comport with the view of some that science is somehow 'pure' and above the messy fray of policy debates, such advocacy has had a hugely positive effect on policy. ... The two models for science advice Pielke describes are the linear and the stakeholder models. The first is a simple progression from science to policy, with no real feedback; the second is an integrated system. I tired of Pielke railing against the linear model, and more so of the implication that this model somehow leads to scientists unwittingly becoming issue advocates instead of honest brokers. Stakeholder involvement is essential, but can accentuate the tendency to polarize positions and for scientists to advocate one policy over another.