A Bias Radar for Responsible Policy-Making: Foresight-Based Scientific Advice

Description

Policymakers prepare society for the future and this book provides a practical toolkit for preparing pro-active, future-proof scientific policy advice for them. It explains how to make scientific advisory strategies holistic. It also explains how and where biases, which interfere with the proper functioning of the entire science-policy ecosystem, arise and investigates how emotions and other biases affect the understanding and assessment of scientific evidence. The book advocates explorative foresight, systems thinking, interdisciplinarity, bias awareness and the anticipation of undesirable impacts in policy advising, and it offers practical guidance for them. Written in an accessible style, the book offers provocative reflections on how scientific policy advice should be sensitive to more than scientific evidence. It is both an appealing introductory text for everyone interested in science-based policy and a valuable guide for the experienced scientific adviser and policy scholar. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxv Scientific Policy Advising: Exploring the Science-Policy Ecosystem (Lieve Van Woensel)....Pages 1-16 How Bias Distorts Evidence and Its Assessment (Lieve Van Woensel)....Pages 17-37 Scientific Foresight: Considering the Future of Science and Technology (Lieve Van Woensel)....Pages 39-68 Systems Thinking and Assessing Cross-Policy Impacts (Lieve Van Woensel)....Pages 69-84 Towards Responsible Scientific Advice: Painting the Complete Picture (Lieve Van Woensel)....Pages 85-113 Back Matter ....Pages 115-133