Science versus policy in decision-making

Science vs. Policy

Scientific policy issues are formulated by the Congress, the Office of the President, relevant Government Departments and Agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Science plays an integral part in the lives of the citizens of the United States. A testament to this is the resolve by the United States government to institute institutions like the United States Environmental Protection Agency-EPA. EPA makes regulatory decisions that touch on environmental issues. It makes science policies and procedures that are available to the public for interrogation. In this regard the public gets an opportunity to review and comment on policies that EPA has formulated. Environmental Protection Agency convenes myriad advisory committees with a view to ensuring that stakeholders ventilate its decisions and processes (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012).

Policy is fundamental when it comes to conducting scientific researches especially when it comes to protection of subjects in human research involving pesticides. EPA has since amended its 2006 human research protection rule. The current law now reflects EPA's commitment to scientifically sound and ethically conducted research. It disallows participation by subjects who cannot consent for themselves especially in human researches dealing with pesticides. Researches supported by EPA involving humans as participants have to adhere to Scientific and Ethical Approaches for Observational Exposure Studies (SEAOES). The SEAOES will henceforth form EPA's exposure assessment guidelines (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). The United States Environmental Protection Authority policies prohibit exposure of children, pregnant or nursing women from studies involving intentional exposure to pesticides. The agency has since established Human Studies Review Board (HSRB) to give it independent advice and recommendations on issues pertaining scientific and ethical review of research involving human subjects. EPA also shapes policies touching on Genetic Toxicology and Integration of in vivo testing. The agency's Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) uses state of the art scientific methods with regard to testing and assessment (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012).

Scientists therefore have a role to play in political debates and policy formulation because policies impact presentation of their researches. This underscores the relationship that exists between science and policy (Pielke, 2007). In bottom up policy initiatives, scientific and engineering communities, basically middle level federal scientists and members drawn from academic circles and industry may see a particular need and through long discussions formulate a proposal. They may then seek senior government officials who may adopt the proposal and take it through the daunting political process. Human Genome Project and Nanotechnology initiative is one such policy guideline that followed the above named process (Cheney, Windham, Kiyosada, Hill, & Heaton, 2003).