The Science of Science Policy

The Science of Science Policy
Author: Julia I. Lane
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 658
Release: 2011-03-18
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0804781605

Download The Science of Science Policy Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Basic scientific research and technological development have had an enormous impact on innovation, economic growth, and social well-being. Yet science policy debates have long been dominated by advocates for particular scientific fields or missions. In the absence of a deeper understanding of the changing framework in which innovation occurs, policymakers cannot predict how best to make and manage investments to exploit our most promising and important opportunities. Since 2005, a science of science policy has developed rapidly in response to policymakers' increased demands for better tools and the social sciences' capacity to provide them. The Science of Science Policy: A Handbook brings together some of the best and brightest minds working in science policy to explore the foundations of an evidence-based platform for the field. The contributions in this book provide an overview of the current state of the science of science policy from three angles: theoretical, empirical, and policy in practice. They offer perspectives from the broader social science, behavioral science, and policy communities on the fascinating challenges and prospects in this evolving arena. Drawing on domestic and international experiences, the text delivers insights about the critical questions that create a demand for a science of science policy.

Science, Policy, and the Value-Free Ideal

Science, Policy, and the Value-Free Ideal
Author: Heather E. Douglas
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2009-07-15
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 082297357X

Download Science, Policy, and the Value-Free Ideal Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The role of science in policymaking has gained unprecedented stature in the United States, raising questions about the place of science and scientific expertise in the democratic process. Some scientists have been given considerable epistemic authority in shaping policy on issues of great moral and cultural significance, and the politicizing of these issues has become highly contentious. Since World War II, most philosophers of science have purported the concept that science should be "value-free." In Science, Policy and the Value-Free Ideal, Heather E. Douglas argues that such an ideal is neither adequate nor desirable for science. She contends that the moral responsibilities of scientists require the consideration of values even at the heart of science. She lobbies for a new ideal in which values serve an essential function throughout scientific inquiry, but where the role values play is constrained at key points, thus protecting the integrity and objectivity of science. In this vein, Douglas outlines a system for the application of values to guide scientists through points of uncertainty fraught with moral valence.Following a philosophical analysis of the historical background of science advising and the value-free ideal, Douglas defines how values should-and should not-function in science. She discusses the distinctive direct and indirect roles for values in reasoning, and outlines seven senses of objectivity, showing how each can be employed to determine the reliability of scientific claims. Douglas then uses these philosophical insights to clarify the distinction between junk science and sound science to be used in policymaking. In conclusion, she calls for greater openness on the values utilized in policymaking, and more public participation in the policymaking process, by suggesting various models for effective use of both the public and experts in key risk assessments.

Science and Technology: Tools for Progress

Science and Technology: Tools for Progress
Author: United States. President's Task Force on Science Policy
Publisher:
Total Pages: 60
Release: 1970
Genre: Science and state
ISBN:

Download Science and Technology: Tools for Progress Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science

Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2004-06-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030918214X

Download Open Access and the Public Domain in Digital Data and Information for Science Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This symposium, which was held on March 10-11, 2003, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, brought together policy experts and managers from the government and academic sectors in both developed and developing countries to (1) describe the role, value, and limits that the public domain and open access to digital data and information have in the context of international research; (2) identify and analyze the various legal, economic, and technological pressures on the public domain in digital data and information, and their potential effects on international research; and (3) review the existing and proposed approaches for preserving and promoting the public domain and open access to scientific and technical data and information on a global basis, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries.

Reviews of National Science Policy

Reviews of National Science Policy
Author: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Publisher:
Total Pages: 564
Release: 1980
Genre: Science and state
ISBN:

Download Reviews of National Science Policy Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Science and Technology Policy

Science and Technology Policy
Author: F. Tisdell
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401169322

Download Science and Technology Policy Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

I was asked recently to prepare an independent background report on the subject of priority assessment in science and technology policy for the Australian Science and Technology Council. The Council (while not necessarily endorsing this book) suggested that a wider audience could be interested in the type of material contained in my report and kindly gave me permission to publish the material in my own right. The present book contains this and other material, some of which was presented at a seminar on National Science Policy: Implications for Government Departments arranged by the Department of Science and the Environment. Additional ideas were developed in response to comments on the manuscript by referees, as a result of discussions with Professor John Metcalfe and Dr Peter Stubbs of Manchester University, a conversation with Dr Keith Hartley of the University of York and in the wake of a communication from Dr Ken Tucker, Assistant Director, Bureau of Industry Economics, Australia. Science and technology policy affects and concerns everyone of us if for no other reason than we cannot escape in this interdependent world from the economic, social and environmental overs pills generated by science and technology. We must face the problems and promises inherent in new and existing science and technology whether we like it or not. Not surprisingly this book finds that all industrialized countries seem to be facing similar economic and social problems.

Beyond Sputnik

Beyond Sputnik
Author: Homer Alfred Neal
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2010-09-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 047202745X

Download Beyond Sputnik Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Science and technology are responsible for almost every advance in our modern quality of life. Yet science isn't just about laboratories, telescopes and particle accelerators. Public policy exerts a huge impact on how the scientific community conducts its work. Beyond Sputnik is a comprehensive survey of the field for use as an introductory textbook in courses and a reference guide for legislators, scientists, journalists, and advocates seeking to understand the science policy-making process. Detailed case studies---on topics from cloning and stem cell research to homeland security and science education---offer readers the opportunity to study real instances of policymaking at work. Authors and experts Homer A. Neal, Tobin L. Smith, and Jennifer B. McCormick propose practical ways to implement sound public policy in science and technology and highlight how these policies will guide the results of scientific discovery for years to come. Homer A. Neal is the Samuel A. Goudsmit Distinguished University Professor of Physics, Interim President Emeritus, and Vice President for Research Emeritus at the University of Michigan, and is a former member of the U.S. National Science Board. Tobin L. Smith is Associate Vice President for Federal Relations at the Association of American Universities. He was formerly Assistant Director of the University of Michigan and MIT Washington, DC, offices. Jennifer B. McCormick is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Ethics in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Mayo College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, and is the Associate Director of the Research Ethics Resource, part of the Mayo Clinic's NIH Clinical Translational Science Award research programs. GO BEYOND SPUTNIK ONLINE--Visit www.science-policy.net for the latest news, teaching resources, learning guides, and internship opportunities in the 21st-Century field of science policy.