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 […]
Public Policy & Decision-Making
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 […]
How Policy and Decision-makers Retrieve and Use Environmental Information
It is well known that many of the world’s environments are being degraded. However, it is less well known that the volume of literature and research generated each year in an attempt to understand environmental degradation is increasing. In short, there is a paradox between our constantly improving knowledge of the environment and its continuously […]
Information DOES Matter: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Policy
The value of evidence-based policy making cannot be overstated, according to speakers at the special session “Does Information Matter? A Critical Question for the Future of Coastal Zone Management” at the Coastal Zone Canada Conference 2014. This session was organized by the EIUI team and brought together eight scholars to address questions such as: Where […]
Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) Featured in Dalhousie Faculty of Management Magazine
Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Management’s annual magazine features EIUI in an article entitled “Dams, drugs, dissemination and demographics” that discusses a range of research work pursued in the Faculty’s four schools. Special mention is given to the Environmental Information: Use and Influence research program, which is lauded for its interdisciplinary approach: the EIUI “makes the […]
Successes and Challenges in Evidence-Based Policy-Making in Canada: a Book Review
If you are a scientist, policy-maker, or somewhere in-between, Evidence-Based Policy-Making in Canada is a must-read. As editor Shaun P. Young observes in his introduction, publications discussing evidence-based policy-making (EBPM) generally focus on single policy fields and view policy issues from a single rather than a holistic perspective. This book “represents a humble, initial effort to […]
Climate Change Communication: Sustaining the Planet’s Climate through Public Engagement
Climate change is now unequivocally recognized as a consequence of human actions and choices; therefore, in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change, it is necessary to engage both governments and citizens in discourse about solutions to climate change. The George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication is a unique initiative that conducts […]
Doctoral Research Highlighted in NAFO’s Annual Report 2013
EIUI’s research partner, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), released its 2013 Annual Report, which includes an account of the research being conducted by Suzuette Soomai, Interdisciplinary PhD student with the EIUI research program. As a research partner, NAFO has accredited EIUI with official observer status for attendance at meetings of the Scientific Council and […]
Editorial on the Availability of Marine Scientific Information in Canada Published in Marine Pollution Bulletin
An editorial, “Managing Ocean Information in the Digital Era—Events in Canada Open Questions about the Role of Marine Science Libraries,” penned by Peter Wells (EIUI and International Ocean Institute), has been published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. Initiated by deep concerns about recent major cutbacks to the marine science libraries of the Canadian federal government, […]