Purdue University Scientists and Policy-Making - Mary Rose Mangan, Elizabeth VanTreeck (Group 20)4/1/2018 The research concerning the health effects of BPAs ultimately led to the multitude of bans on them in plastic products. After extensive research, scientists concluded that BPA exposure has been linked to increased risk for cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. This research and these conclusions ignited bans of BPA which has saved many lives (1). This example supports the idea that scientists should be involved in policy making; however, while science is important it should not trump all other factors in making an informed policy decision. Science is an important part of a lot of policy because the policy makers may not fully understand all aspects of an issue at a level that will allow them to create a fair and reasonable policy on a certain issue. Policy regarding scientific issues should come from scientific conclusions. Scientific research usually is pertinent to the regulations that are put in place and is generally necessary for officials and politicians to make well informed decisions. Despite the importance of science, scientists cannot create policy on their own. They may not have the same abilities and skills to make effective policy as politicians and representatives. They are not necessarily well practiced in necessary policy making skills such as handling international and diplomatic relations, gaining public support, and enacting behavioral change. Additionally, especially in America public opinion and the voice of the public is crucial due to the style of government. This means, that people want policies enacted by their representatives because these are the people that were voted for and trusted to make reasonable and effective policies. It takes scientific research to evaluate the effectiveness of a policy as well. Therefore, while science is important to policy, policy makers with political savvy are necessary to create rules and regulations. Physical Sciences As Indiana’s Land Grant University, Purdue has a specific focus on agricultural and mechanical sciences. The Hatch Act of 1887 provided Purdue federal funding in exchange for creating agriculture extension which links the agricultural research to the community (2). This sets up Purdue to influence many people as well as policy through their ties with the federal and state governments. In particular, the College of Agriculture has close ties with the Indiana state government. Purdue operates experimental agricultural research stations, runs state science agencies, manages Indiana’s Cooperative Extension Agency and works closely with county and state governments. All of these state agencies are avenues in which Purdue scientists’ research impact state policies. Moreover, examples of Purdue-run state agencies include the Indiana State Chemists Office and the Indiana State Climate Office. Purdue Cooperative Extension is responsible for providing science-based information and education for fields ranging from agriculture to health and human sciences for the state of Indiana. Purdue professors who are extension agents apply their research to make it applicable to the public. Although extension agents are not always directly involved in the policy making process, their expertise is used to help local communities. Policy makers in the state of Indiana use their scientific information to create some policies. This information provides policy makers reliable scientific data which helps them to make informed decisions. Information and outreach provided by Purdue extension is a valuable tool that supports Indiana’s farmers and the environmental health of the state (3). The Indiana State Climate Office and the Indiana State Chemist Office both are state funded offices staffed by Purdue faculty. The Indiana State Climate Office serves other state agencies and the public to provide up-to-date climate information and advice. For example, the office is frequently interviewed by state officials during the policy making process. They have been involved in state task forces during drought times (4). Like the Indiana State Climate Office, the Indiana State Chemist Office is a Purdue-operated state agency. They are tasked with enforcing state fertilizer and pesticide laws, and they help to create policies regarding environmental protection (5). Although both offices have bureaucratic roles, they become a trusted source for policy makers, which is valuable for creating lasting policies. Faculty in Purdue’s College of Agriculture have a unique position, their research can directly influence the policy makers. Outside of Purdue’s College of Agriculture, Purdue faculty conduct research that can potentially influence policy decisions, as the University encourages senior faculty members to become involved in policy making. For example, a group from the Environmental and Ecological Engineering is investigating the chemical emissions into water from the cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) water pipe repair sites. CIPP is used to repair water pipes after they have been damaged, however, the chemicals used to make this technology feasible cause harm when they enter the environment. The Purdue faculty working on this research are hoping that the conclusions they make will influence regulations regarding the technology so that it is safer for people (6). Social Sciences
Social science is important in the policy making process because it is important to understand how a population functions before imposing policies on them. Policies and regulations directly impact the general public, so it is crucial to fully understand the demographic of these people before deciding on effective policies and regulations. Lawmakers must understand all aspects of a population and be able to perform a proper analysis from a social, psychological, and even economic standpoint before deciding both the best policies to follow through with and how to gain public support for these ideas. The Purdue Policy Research Institute is a good example of people looking at social science. This is a collection of Purdue students and faculty working on global challenges. They conduct scholarly research or perform scientific experiments to reach conclusions about policies regarding some of the world’s most significant issues. Their three main focus areas are “impacting global health”, “impacting global sustainability”, and “impacting global security”. They evaluate policy and whether it is effective based on the demographic it impacts (7). Outside of Purdue, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funds Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) programs. The RISA program offers expertise for climate adaptation projects with local, state and tribal nation governments. One example is that the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) is working with tribal nations in the southwest to make climate adaptation policies. Researchers are working with specific groups of people and trying to adapt policies so that they work for their lifestyle (8). The Intersection of Science and Policy Science and policy share an important core theme: enriching the lives of people. The goal of any scientific research is to enrich well-being by either enriching understanding of the physical world or humanity. Policy shares the goal to increase the well-being of people, however policy come in downstream of most science. For creating environmental policies, the physical science is the first step, as it identifies problem areas, then policy-makers step in to create feasible methods to address these problems. Social scientists work through the entire chain to help policy makers devise the most effective solution. Furthermore, science aims to increase our understanding about a system so that this knowledge can be applied. Policy makers are tasked interpreting those facts. Social scientists help in the process of evaluating the policy. The different aspects of social and behavioral science should be analyzed outside of policy making so there are proper conclusions made before regulations are put in place. Science is necessary in conjunction with creating policy. The science in this case is the analysis of a population while the policy is applying what was learned to best serve people. In order to create the best environmental policies, scientists should be involved in the process, however, politicians are best equipped for creating the policy itself. Policy makers work to apply the scientific knowledge to directly influence the lives of people. Both social and physical sciences have great value in the political realm. Science should be an impartial, unbiased statement the extent of human knowledge, and policy makers should acknowledge science when creating policies. References (1) http://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/policy-update-on-state-restrictions-on-bisphenol-a.aspx (2)http://www.aplu.org/about-us/history-of-aplu/what-is-a-land-grant-university/ (3)https://extension.purdue.edu/Pages/default.aspx (4)https://iclimate.org/ (5)https://www.oisc.purdue.edu/ (6)https://engineering.purdue.edu/CIPPSafety (7)https://www.aaas.org/GlobalSciencePolicy (8)https://cpo.noaa.gov/Meet-the-Divisions/Climate-and-Societal-Interactions/RISA/RISA-Teams/CLIMAS https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/02/scientists-policy-governments-science https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-role-of-science-and-p_b_1734920 https://amp.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2016/mar/10/the-politics-of-evidence-based-policymaking
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AuthorsThese blog posts are written by students in the POL 327 Spring 2017 class. Archives |