Abstract
We propose a general method for evaluating, and possibly improving, the interface between scientific research and policy-making institutions. The method considers the adequacy of both institutional structures for incorporating research, and research for addressing institutional needs. It involves both interviews (with policy makers and scientists) and formal analyses of the links between the research and the decisions described in the interviews. A case study applies the method in analyzing the usefulness of climate change research for managing salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest. It shows these policy makers to be receptive to the research, which is, in principle, relevant to them. However, they are unable to use it because the research is not currently formulated in ways compatible with current decision-making models. For their part, these models are not comprehensive enough to capture the full range of potentially relevant environmental forcers, including climate change.
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Jones, S.A., Fischhoff, B. & Lach, D. Evaluating the Science-Policy Interface for Climate Change Research. Climatic Change 43, 581–599 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005495119477
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005495119477