Evidence-based policy is seen as a key factor in formulating successful policies. In recent years interest for more evidence-based policy has increased but the capacity of governments to pursue this approach has proven to be low (Howlett, 2009). A variety of opinions exist on how best to address the evidence-based policy policy gap and […]
Science-Policy Interface
Grey Literature in the Marine Sciences: Recognizing Its Importance, Retaining It for Canadians
We have been pursuing research on awareness and use of marine scientific information, especially grey literature, at the science-policy interface for several years and have been focussing on the significance of enablers and barriers to information use. Lately, we have become increasingly concerned about recent federal government decisions to substantially reduce the number of government […]
Exploring Advances in Understanding the Science-Policy Interface: Highlights from the AAAS Conference, February 2013
Peter Wells, a member of the EIUI research team, attended the 2013 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Conference in Boston recently (www.aaas.org/meetings/2013/ ). The theme of the conference was “The Beauty and Benefits of Science,” and two sessions were of special note, namely, “Communicating science to policy makers” and “New tools […]
Media and Policy: Transition and Influence
Modern public policy is often influenced by the news media. Frequently we see policy issues either set aside or placed centre-stage depending on the ways in which they are covered in the media. This post will look at the role of news media and social media, specifically scientific, in the policy process, as well as […]
Information to Policy Challenge – Public Lecture – 8 March 2013
Bertrum MacDonald was featured as the first speaker in the series of public lectures offered by the Dalhousie School of Public Administration in collaboration with the Nova Scotia Federal Council. Addressing an audience of federal, provincial, and municipal decision makers in downtown Halifax on 8 March 2013, Dr. MacDonald spoke about the Information to Policy […]
Rules of Engagement: Interest Groups, Social Movements, and Citizen Consultation in Policy Development
The phrase “special interest” flies off the tongues of politicians and political pundits like a vicious epithet on the level of “international terrorist” or “Wall Street fat cat.” Interest groups are portrayed in the political discourse as inherently corrupt influence peddlers, sullying the purity of the democratic process with undue lobbying pressure and unseemly […]
Special issue of Marine Policy on Governing Marine Protected Areas guest edited by Elizabeth De Santo and colleagues
A special issue of the journal Marine Policy is now in press, guest edited by EIUI team member Elizabeth De Santo and her colleagues Peter Jones, Wanfei Qiu and Julian Clifton. writing business reports The special issue is entitled: Governing Marine Protected Areas: towards social-ecological resilience through institutional diversity. This study aimed to explore […]
Enablers and Barriers to Communication of Research-Based Information in Public Policy Contexts
Research about the science-policy interface makes abundantly clear that gaps can exist in understanding between researchers and policy and decision makers. It is, therefore, critical to understand the pathways and flow of information in this context, and determine reasons that create the gaps. Without clear communication among the various parties working at the science-policy interface, […]
Pathways of Research-Based Information
In this post, we discuss the pathways of research-based information in policy and decision-making contexts, and models that scholars have proposed about how research information flows from production to readers. Five publications inform this discussion. The third chapter of Sandra M. Nutley, Isabel Walter and Huw T. O. Davies’s Using evidence: How research can inform […]
Characteristics of the Science-Policy Interface
No examination of the role of information in public policy development is complete without a discussion of the science-policy interface. This post will outline defining characteristics of the interface, and issues and difficulties surrounding its functionality. First, what is meant by the science-policy interface? Essentially, this term refers to the interplay between scientific research and […]