Effective research communication between scientists and policy-makers is becoming an increasingly important subject to consider when tackling some of the world’s most wicked problems. On one hand, scientists must become comfortable with translating their work into information products that can be used beyond scientific circles and understood by laypeople. On the other, policy-makers should attempt […]
Information Use & Influence
Closing the Gap: Translating Information into Policy – Key Observations Drawn Primarily from the Health Sector
Understanding the relationship between research, information, and policy can be challenging. In the health sector, for example, the inter-relationship among the three can be particularly informative for exploring interactions between information and policy development. Discoveries from this area can be applicable to other fields. Traditionally, health was defined narrowly as being attributed to sickness or […]
Deep Ties: New EIUI Study Investigates the Connection between People and Marine Environments in Ocean Planning and Policy
A new Environmental Information: Use and Influence study suggests that social values tied to the ocean are under-represented in the valuation of marine ecosystems, and proposes a public perceptions frame work to gauge place-based attachments in coastal planning and policy decision processes. Simon Ryder-Burbidge, an EIUI team member and a recent graduate of the Master […]
New Essays on Ocean Governance by EIUI Team Members in Honour of Elizabeth Mann Borgese
The Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) research team is pleased to announce the contributions by Bertrum MacDonald, Suzuette Soomai, and Peter Wells to the new book, The Future of Ocean Governance and Capacity Development: Essays in Honor of Elisabeth Mann Borgese (1918-2002). Prepared under the editorship of the International Ocean Institute-Canada (IOI-Canada) and published […]
Science in Public life – Panel Sessions, 9 & 11 October 2018
The Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) research program is very pleased to announce that two public panel sessions on the subject of Science in Public Life will be presented on 9 and 11 October 2018 in Halifax. EIUI is hosting these panels, along with co-sponsors, to address key questions about the role of information […]
Benefits and Misuse of Research Impact Indicators: Three New Books on Metrics
Does research output have any impact? Do the investments in personnel and other research resources actually advance understanding and contribute to societal and environmental well-being? These questions have captivated the minds of researchers, funders, and policy makers for decades. While some quantifiable indicators, such as citations, have been widely adopted, debates about the merits and […]
Emerging Issues, Challenges, and Priorities: The 12th BoFEP Bay of Fundy Science Workshop
Since 1996, the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP) has organized major scientific workshops approximately every two years. The twelfth, attended by over 100 speakers and participants on 9-12 May 2018 in Truro, Nova Scotia, focused on “A Changing Fundy Environment: Emerging Issues, Challenges, and Priorities.” The workshops bring researchers, managers, policymakers, and community representatives […]
Improving the Use of Climate Change Information in Mitigation and Adaptation Decision-Making: A Book Review
Why are policy measures for climate change mitigation and adaptation being implemented at such a slow pace, especially when significant efforts are being made to generate climate change information? Communicating Climate Change Information for Decision-Making strives to answer this very important question. In their introduction, editors Silvia Serrao-Neumann, Senior Lecturer at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, […]
EIUI Research Project: Criteria for Assessing Working Group Approaches for Informing Decision-Making in Public Policy
Many issues continue to cause severe changes to ocean environments and may be classified as “wicked” problems. At the same time, extensive scientific information exists that has the potential to inform management and policy in addressing the issues. However, a challenge persists in translating this information into usable forms for decision makers to make informed […]
Assessing Research Use in Policy and Decision-Making Contexts: The Importance of Models
The relationships between research and policy and research and practice have been theorized in different ways. Several models have been conceptualized over time, which provide different frameworks for thinking about and understanding the research use process (Nutley, Walter, & Davies, 2007a). These models take several complexities into consideration that forms of research use can take […]