The Canadian federal government announced a major new research grant on Tuesday, 6 September 2016, that will support the work of the new Ocean Frontier Institute at Dalhousie University. Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, confirmed that the government has approved Dalhousie’s application to the Canada First Research Excellence Fund for $93.7 million. […]
Scientific Communication
Current Literature: Utilisation of Information by Practitioners in the Fishing Industry
“Current Literature” is a recurring feature highlighting recent publications of interest on the science-policy interface. Much scholarship investigating the use of scientific information in the management of marine ecosystems has naturally focused on direct use by policy- and decision-makers. However, the range of stakeholders with an interest and a role to play in […]
Ian Stewart presents paper on a social science perspective on oil spill response and social licence
A very important and topical area of scientific and technical research ongoing in Canada and around the world concerns the fate and effects of hydrocarbons when released into marine, freshwater, and land-based ecosystems. In the Canadian context, a recent massive study carried out under the direction of the Royal Society of Canada required 461 pages […]
Coastal Zone Canada 2016 Emphasized Collaboration to Achieve Coastal Resilience
The 2016 Coastal Zone Canada conference, organized by the Coastal Zone Canada Association, was held on 12-16 June 2016 at the University of Toronto’s Chestnut Convention Centre in Toronto. This biennial conference provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and information related to coastal zone management in Canada and globally. Representatives from universities […]
Current Literature: The Conflict Between Journalistic Balance and Scientific Credibility in Science Reporting
“Current Literature” is a recurring feature highlighting recent publications of interest on the science-policy interface. Journalists face many challenges when trying to communicate scientific issues to the public, but perhaps the greatest is the need to adhere to standards of journalistic objectivity when reporting on fields of scientific inquiry where fringe viewpoints persist […]
Improving Use of Research-Based Information in Policy Contexts
Today, governments are expected to promote the use of research in practice settings. Evidence-based practice is viewed as the goal of public services in many developed nations (Nutley, Walter & Davies, 2007). In addition, governments also give attention to use of research-based information in their policy making processes. Developed nations have employed a range of […]
The Research-Policy Interface: Models, Frames, and Affecting Factors
To ensure an optimal evidence-based decision making process, it is essential to have an understanding of the research-policy interface and to be able to measure the effectiveness of the use and influence of research on policy. Different models for conceptualizing the research-policy interface have emerged over the past several decades and have, increasingly, accepted the […]
Reshaping Policy Development: Public Consultation and Advisory Processes
The function of public consultation and advisory processes in the development of public policy is complex and evolving. Some recent literature on this subject offers insights about the numerous roles that these processes can play in informing and developing policies and other governance practices, both at a global level and within a democratically governed state […]
Managing the Communication of Research Information for Policy: Institutional Dynamics and the Social Component
Effective communication is a popular phrase within many institutions. At a basic level, communication involves purposeful exchange of information among parties. Failure to successfully transfer knowledge within this transaction can result in misunderstanding, misuse of time, and inappropriate or lack of action. Within a governmental context, this situation could result in wasted resources, ineffective policy, […]
New EIUI Book about the Science-Policy Interface to be Published in May 2016
The EIUI Research team is very pleased to announce that Science, Information, and Policy Interface for Effective Coastal and Ocean Management will be published by CRC Press (division of Taylor & Francis) on 16 May 2016. This volume, edited by Bertrum H. MacDonald, Suzuette S. Soomai, Elizabeth M. De Santo, and Peter G. Wells, brings […]