THE CHALLENGE OF DELIVERING GOOD SCIENCE TO DECISION MAKERS

摘要

I have yet to find a soul who argues against the need for good science to support decision making, even in Washington. It is seen as apple pie - independent and objective analysis, without the spin of prior policy or personal views. (Concerns about politically inspired "junk science," and the extent of demand for objective science within the political process, are important issues but largely outside the scope of these remarks.) In practice, good science for decision making is a much more layered and nuanced concept, not simply a single study or a well calibrated model delivered to the open arms of a decision maker. My purpose in this brief article is to suggest why more specificity in its definition could lead to better water related decisions.