Book Description

This study was commissioned to help characterize current policies & practices for integrating science with policy and to provide some insights on principles & procedures, including those relating to implementation & adherence, which appear to be successful in ensuring that government decisions take account of scientific advice. The study examined current policies, practices, & procedures in Canadian government departments & agencies in the context of the science guidelines framework that has been developed & used in the United Kingdom. Study methodology included a review of relevant documentation and extensive interviews with government officials & external stakeholders. The study discusses why governments need science, the complexities of integrating science into policy, and factors that have made more critical the role of science in government decision making. It then analyzes the dynamics of decision making in federal science-based departments & agencies, with reference to such matters as the capacity to anticipate issues that will need scientific advice, pluralism in sources of insight, capacity for fast response, and identification of horizontal or cross-departmental issues. This is followed by a more cursory analyses of science in provincial government decision making. The final section discusses lessons learned & fundamental concerns about means of better integrating science in government decision making.