WSU CE 543 - Meeting the Challenges of Policy Relevant Science

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Meeting the Challenges of Policy-Relevant Science 1087 Ongoing public debate about the role of science in policy making signifi es the importance of advancing theory and practice in the fi eld. Indeed, assumptions about the science – policy nexus hold direct implications for how this inter-face is managed. A useful lens on contemporary themes is off ered by the experience of a federal environmental science program that launched an ambitious eff ort to enhance capacity for policy rel-evance while protecting a commit-ment to sound, impartial scientifi c inquiry. Th is was achieved by developing an explicit conceptual model and implementing corre-sponding strategies that addressed critical gaps in capacity for policy-relevant research, analysis, and communication while supporting existing capacities. Th is article describes and evaluates the capacity-building eff ort from the dual perspectives of deepening an understand-ing of successful practice in the fi eld and advancing a conceptual understanding of the science – policy nexus. It illustrates the challenges facing practitioners and the need for greater interaction between theory and practice. Frequent calls to craft science-based policy, en-hance the societal relevance and accountability of science, and more clearly delineate the threshold between the use and misuse of science in policy making highlight the importance of the science – policy nexus. However, responses to these calls tend to be ad hoc and circumstantial. Th e relationship between science and policy is commonly assumed to be a linear one in which scientifi c “truths” are dissemi-nated to policy makers who may or may not accept them, or as an incomprehensibly complex, highly charged interface where scientifi c and political cul-tures inevitably clash on epistemological or value-laden grounds. For practitioners, neither set of assumptions is a satisfactory guide for creating eff ec-tive linkages between science and policy development. Pressure is particularly great in the environmental and natural resources arena, where decisions about land use, competition for water, energy development, climate, natural hazards, public health, and species protection are widespread and may have multibillion-dollar implications, as well as consequences for human health, safety, and quality of life. Th ere is a critical need to develop better theoretical understandings of the science – policy nexus and practical management strategies that are capable of enhancing the accountability and policy rel-evance of scientifi c research while preserving its core of indepen-dent inquiry. Th is article makes a contribution on both fronts by presenting a heuristic model of science – policy interac-tion and examining its practical value in the experi-ence of a federal environmental science program that, responding to contemporary challenges, sought to enhance its capacity for policy relevance while protect-ing its commitment to sound, impartial science. When that eff ort began in the mid-1990s, it was experimental and innovative, with no known compa-rable precedents. Th e science – policy model that guided the eff ort was not previously available in the literature and demonstrated its value as a strategic management and diagnostic tool. Clearly, how the relationship between science and policy is conceptual-ized holds important implications for practice, and the critical importance of building stronger bridges between theory and practice to meet the challenges associated with meaningful pursuit of policy-relevant science and science-based policy cannot be overstated. Background and Impetus for Change Th e National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has the unique responsibility of undertaking comprehensive Elisabeth A. Graffy U.S. Geological Survey Meeting the Challenges of Policy-Relevant Science: Bridging Th eory and Practice Elisabeth A. Graffy focuses on policy development and its interaction with organizational and societal change, particularly as related to agriculture, environment, and the sustainability of natural resources (and of the human communities that depend on them). She has given public presentations nationwide on the relationship between science and policy. She has served in state, city, international, and federal positions, most recently with the U.S. Congress and the Department of the Interior. Her writings appear in many reports and in articles that have appeared in Society and Natural Resources, the International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, and other publications. E-mail: [email protected] Thinking About Public Administration in New Ways Th ere is a critical need to develop better theoretical understandings of the science–policy nexus and practical management strategies that are capable of enhancing the accountability and policy relevance of scientifi c research while preserving its core of independent inquiry.1088 Public Administration Review • November | December 2008monitoring of rivers, streams, aquatic ecology, and groundwater in about 50 major river basins nation-wide. Initiated in 1991 in response to congressional inquiries as to whether water conditions were improv-ing as a result of the Clean Water Act and related initiatives, the provision of useful information to resource managers and policy makers was considered an implicit but somewhat unarticulated part of the program’s mission. Th e primary mission of the USGS as a whole includes earth science investigations that emphasize data collec-tion and environmental monitoring, with historically little direct involvement in national policy processes. Indeed, scientists are legally prohibited from making policy recommendations, and adherence to these constraints had resulted in a culture that discouraged scientists from responding to the information needs of policy makers except by providing technical docu-ments and data sets. A perception took hold among the senior USGS management during the mid-1990s that Congress was unwilling or unable to use scientifi c information as traditionally provided and that public concerns about the agency’s relevance were growing. Th ese perceptions were based partly on cautionary anecdotes and partly on a string of tight budgets that were seen as evidence of a decline in the status of public support for


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WSU CE 543 - Meeting the Challenges of Policy Relevant Science

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