Science Policy & Actionable Knowledge
Science Policy Interaction & Actionable Knowledge
Science Policy & Actionable Knowledge
We study how science becomes actionable to better support evidence-based policy and decision making, as well as how individuals and organizations navigate science policy interactions to marshal science to help solve real world challenges.
Curious About These Issues? So Are We.
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How can decision-makers apply climate science data to make a greater positive impact on society?
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What can public science funders do to advance sustainability and the social contract for science?
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What areas of research should we prioritize to best support decision-makers?
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How can we make what we learn through research more relevant and responsive to society’s needs?
Research Spotlight
Sponsoring actionable science: what public science funders can do to advance sustainability and the social contract for science
Making science more useful for solving real-world sustainability problems is a key way for science to benefit society. How public science funding is designed and managed can help support this goal. In this review, we look at how funding programs can encourage more actionable science through better project design, review, support, and evaluation. We suggest taking a more interactive and learning-focused approach to managing these programs.
Arnott, J., Kirchhoff, C. J., Meyer, R. M., Meadow, A. M., & Bednarek, A. T. (2020). Sponsoring actionable science: What public science funders can do to advance sustainability and the social contract for science. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 43, 38–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2020.01.006
Actionable Knowledge for Environmental Decision Making: Broadening the Usability of Climate Science
Although how we produce science has evolved, there is still far too little scientific knowledge used to support environmental decision-making—especially around climate change. . We review how science-policy relationships shape how knowledge is produced and used and examine new approaches that involve more collaboration across disciplines and with decision-makers. We also compare how climate information is used in the U.S. and U.K. to show why making science more usable remains a challenge.
Kirchhoff, C. J., Lemos, M. C., & Dessai, S. (2013). Actionable knowledge for environmental decision making: Broadening the usability of climate science. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 38, 3.1–3.22. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-022112-112828
