SUBJECT: RE: Science for better governance
AUTHOR: Ian Davies
DATE: 16th April 2003

Above all, the scientist must be honest. If he has to make his best guess, then he must be extremely careful that he is not reflecting personal or institutional prejudices. He should also be careful not to tend towards giving the answer that he thinks the policy maker would prefer to hear.

It is most unusual that such a reply can be accompanied by statement of a programme of work and a costing that actually results directly in funding. Inevitably, the scientist's view of the world and experience are different from those of the policy maker. Time scale is part of this, but perception of opportunities, risks, utility and priorities also need to be fully appreciated. Consequently, scientifically well thought out proposals can often miss the target because the scientist does not understand the position of the policy maker in the target scientific area, or in relation to other scientific areas.

A better route to a scientific programme that ultimately benefits society is to indicate to the policy maker that the scientist can see ways forward, and to offer to meet and discuss to agree the general direction of a subsequent proposal. The proposal then can be written and submitted to the right funding agency with some confidence that it will ring the right set of bells in the policy office.

A contribution by:

Ian Davies
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