NWI-FC0043B
Science and Public Policy
Cursus informatieRooster
CursusNWI-FC0043B
Studiepunten (ECTS)3
Categorie-
VoertaalEngels
Aangeboden doorRadboud Universiteit; Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica; Institute for Science, Innovation and Society;
Docenten
Docent
dr. J.R. Floor
Overige cursussen docent
Examinator
dr. W. Halffman
Overige cursussen docent
Docent
dr. W. Halffman
Overige cursussen docent
Coördinator
dr. W. Halffman
Overige cursussen docent
Contactpersoon van de cursus
dr. W. Halffman
Overige cursussen docent
Collegejaar2022
Periode
KW1  (05-09-2022 t/m 06-11-2022)
Aanvangsblok
KW1
Onderwijsvorm
voltijd
Opmerking-
Inschrijven via OSIRISJa
Inschrijven voor bijvakkersJa
VoorinschrijvingNee
WachtlijstNee
Plaatsingsprocedure-
Cursusdoelen
 At the end of the course, students should be able to:
  1. Give a basic overview of the various connections between science and public policy.
  2. Have a basic understanding of the processes involved in public policy making and the organisation of government.
  3. Recognise tensions and problems in the relation between science and public policy, as well as describe advantages and disadvantages of ways to tackle these issues.
  4. Understand and explain key concepts to describe and interpret the processes in the interaction between science and public policy (as listed per class).
  5. Use these key concepts and theories in the theoretical design of research projects (specifically relevant to the Master’s thesis).
 
Inhoud

Politics and Reason

Science and policy are often presented as two entirely separate activities: policy tends to be seen as a matter of power and normative judgement, happening in The Hague or some other seat of government. In contrast, science is stereotypically understood as something that happens at laboratories or universities and is about facts, rather than power.
However, on closer inspection, science and public policy also have many connections. Governments make policies for science, such as in the distribution of research money, investment in higher education and researcher training, or in programmes that stimulate closer cooperation between research and society. In some areas, governments have even developed policies that intervene in the daily practice of scientific work, all the way into laboratories: restrictions and conditions for experiments with animals and people, standardisation of tests and equipment, or rules and procedures to combat scientific fraud. Once you focus your attention on it, public policy seems almost omnipresent in research.
            In the other direction, science is also an important source of knowledge for policy making. Modern environmental policy would not exist without scientific knowledge of the invisible pathways of pollution or of climate change’s tragic consequences. Our public health policies would become meaningless without research and our management of the economy is profoundly structured by economic sciences. Apart from industry and the military, government and its public policy are among the main ‘clients’ of scientific research.
Scientists may even try to change policies. They may signal upcoming problems in society that they think need urgent attention, or they may try to alert government that policies do not quite work out as planned, or they may even try to getter better conditions for their own research. In some cases, scientists even become politically active, participate in public debate, or even go into politics. Especially famous scientists can count on a lot of respect and credibility in public debate. For example, towards the end of his life, Einstein became a public figure providing advice on a wide range of topics, going far beyond his expertise in physics to topics such as world peace.
However, the various interactions between science and public policy are not without tensions and trouble. Policy makers often complain that scientists are not helpful enough, too academic, too complicated, or too interested in their own careers. Inversely, scientists often complain that research policies fail to address real needs of researchers, or that policy makers fail to listen or fail to learn. The political role of scientists may also become problematic, as they sometimes abuse their public respect to promote dubious causes, or simply their own career.
The connecting theme in the course will be the tension between politics and reason, or more precisely: the ways in which politics and reason help to define each other. That probably sounds like gobbledegook at this point, but we have seven weeks to figure it out.

 

Course format

The course consists of:
  • Seven weekly lectures: the lecturer presents the material for a basic understanding of key concepts, processes and theories.
  • Weekly background reading: deepen the understanding with key literature, examples, or current debate (ca 30 pages per week).
  • Seven weekly seminars: after an introduction in the first week, we start to discuss background reading  (understanding) and connections between the course material and current affairs (application) in the second week. For these seminars, you will need to bring relevant media stories. (Newspapers are available in the Science library, or use online media.) Attendance is obligatory for the seminars.
  • A written exam, testing both understanding and application (lectures and seminars).

Course content

This course explores the many connections between science and public policy – and politics. As students with natural science backgrounds, you will need extra tools to understand how policy is made and what problems this involves. Hence we start the course with three lectures on policy making, but always with specific attention for the role of science and knowledge in policy. In the second half of the course, we will turn our attention to some more specific areas and topics of science/policy interaction, including problems around uncertainty in scientific knowledge, research integrity, or policy for science. This fits into seven weekly topics:
 
 
 
 
Week
Seminars:
  • detailed examples, or
  • deeper theoretical insight, or
  • link to current debates
Lectures: overview and introduction
  • what is the problem?
  • basic concepts
  • different approaches
1 Introductions PART A: The policy cycle
What is policy? What are problems? When are they public?
2 State and market
Market as alternative to public policy?
Agendas and policy instruments
What gets attention? Policy mixes.
3 Numbers
How are they used to assess problems?
Policy implementation and evaluation
 
 
4
 
 
Seeing Like a State
Theory: how states perceive the world.
PART B: Science and policy
 
Risk and uncertainty in policy
How policy deals with uncertainty.
5 Cultural theory of risk
Theory: how to identify worldviews.
Policy for science
How research is funded and why.
6 Problems of scientific publishing
Example of problems in research.
Regulating science
Policies addressing problems in research.
7 The debate over the university
What is the role of universities?
Science in the polity
What is the role of science in a democracy?

Instructional Modes
Niveau
Basic introduction.
Voorkennis
None.
Toetsinformatie
digitaal examen
Bijzonderheden

Verplicht materiaal
Digitale leeromgeving (Brightspace)

Werkvormen
Cursus
AanwezigheidsplichtJa

Toetsen
Digitaal Tentamen
Weging1
ToetsvormDigitale toets met CIRRUS
GelegenhedenBlok KW1, Blok KW2