Re-Imagining the Science-Policy Interface

This presentation provides a critical review of how the interface between science and policy has been conceptualized and how these conceptual models have shaped the way scientists, policymakers, and the public interact. While much work has been done to problematize the relationship between science and society, the question of how science ought to inform policy remains an open one. Recent policy debates in areas such as food safety, energy security, and climate change suggest the need for new types of knowledge brokers who can bridge the worlds of science, policy, and society. Drawing on the policy studies literature, I suggest a new kind of “science entrepreneur” can help mobilize scientific research and transform it into policy-useful knowledge.