Chemical contamination is a threat that impacts all waterways, especially those closest to human activity. Contamination of ecosystems can lead to consequences within trophic (food-web) structures and can percolate up trophic levels and impact human populations. Countless examples exist of mercury poisoning from contaminated fish overwhelming coastal communities. Other contaminants, such as other trace metals, […]
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Social Science Information and Local Knowledge in Public Policy Development: The Eight “Ps”
Decision and policy-making are multifaceted processes. Carol H. Weiss’s 1977 statement “policymaking process is a political process, with the basic aim of reconciling interests in order to negotiate consensus, not of implementing logic and truth” remains valid today (Weiss, 1977, p. 533). Awareness that policy making is a multifaceted process and one in which […]
Communication across Science-Policy Interfaces
Using research-based information to make informed decisions in policy-making is important in the creation of governmental policies. The use of evidence-based knowledge verifies and validates that appropriate decisions are made by policy makers. Within the science community, the use of scientific research in public policy is termed the science-policy interface. Van den Hove (2007) defines […]
Information for Public Policy with a Focus on Health and Environmental Policy
The relationships among research, decision-making, and policy development are often complex due to the multifaceted processes that involve varying institutions, people, and information. For both scientific and health research fields these issues are common. Specifically, knowledge and evidence utilization are not static concepts; rather they occur within dynamic settings encompassing a spectrum of types of […]
Grounding the Science-Policy Interface in Empirical Study
When studying the science-policy interface, it is easy to become lost in abstractions and forget that what is being examined is a living, breathing entity comprised of institutions and people immersed in the ebb and flow of complex forces. In a recent paper entitled “Balancing credibility, relevance and legitimacy: A critical assessment of trade-offs in […]
6th Canadian Science Policy Conference – Highlights
The Canadian Science Policy Conference was held for the first time in Atlantic Canada on 15-17 October 2014 in Halifax, NS. The conference did not focus on a single special theme, but was organized as a forum consisting of a number of panels and invited speakers who discussed aspects of the current Canadian science-policy environment […]
Advice or Advocacy: The Nuances of Scientific Communication
Undeniably, communication at the science-policy interface can be affected by numerous factors and in some cases result in controversy. Most scientists believe their primary role in research is to explore, discover, and analyze the world around them and to publish their findings. In contrast, the public may believe that scientist’s primary role, in general, is […]
Marine Environmental Monitoring Data: Commodity or Public Good?
How to balance business and research interests in marine environmental monitoring data was a subject of debate at the 5th International Conference on Ocean Energy held at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 4-6 November 2014. Held for the first time in North America, this conference brought together industry, government, […]
New Book About the Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Voyage of Discovery: Fifty Years of Marine Research at Canada’s Bedford Institute of Oceanography is being officially launched this week. This commemorative volume marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO) celebrated in 2012. The BIO-Oceans Association announced the publication as a “major treatise reviewing the history and marine research accomplishments of […]
How Do We Improve Communication of Science to the Public? Paul Zehr Has a Suggestion
Most people would agree that good decisions are made when there is evidence to support a course of action. Policy-making is no different. Evidence-base policy-making is held up as the highest standard of decision making – in contrast to ideological or partisan decision-making. To make decisions in an information vacuum can easily be a recipe […]