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 […]
Scientific Communication
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 […]
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 […]
Expert Panel Working on 40 Priority Research Questions for Ocean Science in Canada
February 12-13, the Expert Panel on Canadian Ocean Science held its third meeting, at which it discussed a draft report on 40 Priority Research Questions for Ocean Science in Canada. Recognizing that the world’s oceans are undergoing unprecedented changes, this initiative is examining Canada’s needs and capacities with regard to the major research questions in […]
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 […]
New EIUI Paper on Communicating Environmental Information
A new paper by the Environmental Information: Use and Influence research initiative (EIUI) has been published in Marine Policy: Soomai, S. S., MacDonald, B. H., & Wells, P. G. (2013). Communicating environmental information to the stakeholders in coastal and marine policy-making: Case studies from Nova Scotia and the Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy region. Marine […]
EIUI Participation in 14th International Conference in Grey Literature, Rome
The 14th International Conference on Grey Literature, hosted by the Italian National Research Council, brought over 100 researchers and librarians from eighteen countries to Rome on 29-30 November 2012. “Tracking innovation through grey literature” served as the theme of the conference. The opening keynote addresses by Dr. Carlos Morais-Pires of the European Commission (Belgium) and […]
Tension in Canada at the Science-Policy Interface
An important, insightful article published in The Globe and Mail on Friday, 4 January 2013, discussed “the limits being placed on the ability of government-employed scientists to communicate their findings” without government interference or indeed without requiring permission from the bureaucracy. The article underlines the importance of science and scientific advice to be independent of […]
50th Anniversary of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
Silent Spring (1962), widely considered to be one of the most influential books of the 20th century, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It is believed that Carson’s work initiated the genre of publications describing new scientific knowledge on threats to the environment and largely conditioned the global attention to environmental issues. Carson’s work shows the […]