Ona Ambrozaite, Kirsten B. Butner, Dezmond Cole, Eline D'Haene, Jasmine De Rop, Willem Desmedt, Nathaniel Laughner, Ruben Savels, Esther Van Parys, Hao Nick Zhang
On a global scale, pesticide use has almost doubled since 1990, with the world market expected to reach $130 billion by the end of 2023. With a rapidly growing world population, the use of pesticides, also called plant protection products (PPP), has played an important role in increasing crop yields to ensure adequate food availability. In the early 1960s, growing concern and awareness about the potential for PPP to non-specifically affect the surrounding ecosystem led to a growing field of resistance. Governmental and intergovernmental bodies have since placed sustainable agricultural practices at the top of their agendas, leading to the use of PPP becoming an increasingly controversial topic of discussion. This policy analysis broadly describes PPP regulation systems in the US and the EU by providing historic accounts of key policy developments of PPP use and their regulations. A direct comparison between regulatory systems for PPP in the US and in the EU is then explored. Washington State and Belgium were chosen as case studies in order to provide a more detailed look into the complexities of such systems and allow for a comparative approach to examine the opportunities and challenges for policy changes. Additionally, suggestions as to what the EU and the US entities can learn from one another to improve the respective PPP regulation systems are investigated. Finally, the analysis explores the potential of strengthening transatlantic cooperation through the establishment of an intergovernmental framework that deals with collection of scientific evidence on PPP and their use. As a result, this analysis acts as a tool for policymakers to better comprehend the different approaches to PPP regulation in the US and the EU as the need to feed the growing world population becomes more urgent, all while safeguarding human and ecosystem health through well-informed policies on PPP use.
{"title":"Comparing Pesticide Regulations: What can Belgium (EU) and Washington State (US) Learn from One Another?","authors":"Ona Ambrozaite, Kirsten B. Butner, Dezmond Cole, Eline D'Haene, Jasmine De Rop, Willem Desmedt, Nathaniel Laughner, Ruben Savels, Esther Van Parys, Hao Nick Zhang","doi":"10.38126/jspg220201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg220201","url":null,"abstract":"On a global scale, pesticide use has almost doubled since 1990, with the world market expected to reach $130 billion by the end of 2023. With a rapidly growing world population, the use of pesticides, also called plant protection products (PPP), has played an important role in increasing crop yields to ensure adequate food availability. In the early 1960s, growing concern and awareness about the potential for PPP to non-specifically affect the surrounding ecosystem led to a growing field of resistance. Governmental and intergovernmental bodies have since placed sustainable agricultural practices at the top of their agendas, leading to the use of PPP becoming an increasingly controversial topic of discussion. This policy analysis broadly describes PPP regulation systems in the US and the EU by providing historic accounts of key policy developments of PPP use and their regulations. A direct comparison between regulatory systems for PPP in the US and in the EU is then explored. Washington State and Belgium were chosen as case studies in order to provide a more detailed look into the complexities of such systems and allow for a comparative approach to examine the opportunities and challenges for policy changes. Additionally, suggestions as to what the EU and the US entities can learn from one another to improve the respective PPP regulation systems are investigated. Finally, the analysis explores the potential of strengthening transatlantic cooperation through the establishment of an intergovernmental framework that deals with collection of scientific evidence on PPP and their use. As a result, this analysis acts as a tool for policymakers to better comprehend the different approaches to PPP regulation in the US and the EU as the need to feed the growing world population becomes more urgent, all while safeguarding human and ecosystem health through well-informed policies on PPP use.","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"235 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133010556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Grossman, Matías E. Mastrángelo, Camilo De Los Ríos, Mónica Jiménez
While climate change mitigation is a global concern that all countries must play a role in curbing, the costs and benefits of various strategies across geographic boundaries must be examined from a full supply chain perspective. In countries such as the United States (US) where the transportation sector is a leading source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, switching from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) to electric vehicles (EV) has emerged as one strategy to combat climate change. However, these EVs rely on critical minerals in their batteries, which are sourced largely from the global south, where there are not as many environmental and social protection regulations and practices. One such mineral, Lithium is found mostly in the Lithium Triangle (LT) in the South American countries of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Lithium mining is negatively affecting natural resources and ecologies in the LT, in turn creating challenges for nearby communities including indigenous people in the area. Science diplomacy could strengthen relationships and communication between Northern and Southern American countries and more equitably distribute the social and environmental costs and benefits of lithium extraction and EV sales and operations. This paper explores how science diplomacy can foster the governance processes and scientific inputs needed to support more sustainable and just supply chains. It demonstrates higher benefits at the use stage of the EV supply chain in North America, and higher costs at the raw materials extraction for lithium in the EV supply chain in South America. This paper also calls attention to standards and measures that could be applied to sustainable mining. We document best practices, lessons learned, and gaps in collaborative potential between interdisciplinary and transitional stakeholders to develop definitions, measures, and goals across the entire supply chain of lithium for EV batteries.
{"title":"Environmental Justice Across the Lithium Supply Chain: A Role for Science Diplomacy in the Americas","authors":"A. Grossman, Matías E. Mastrángelo, Camilo De Los Ríos, Mónica Jiménez","doi":"10.38126/jspg220205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg220205","url":null,"abstract":"While climate change mitigation is a global concern that all countries must play a role in curbing, the costs and benefits of various strategies across geographic boundaries must be examined from a full supply chain perspective. In countries such as the United States (US) where the transportation sector is a leading source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, switching from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) to electric vehicles (EV) has emerged as one strategy to combat climate change. However, these EVs rely on critical minerals in their batteries, which are sourced largely from the global south, where there are not as many environmental and social protection regulations and practices. One such mineral, Lithium is found mostly in the Lithium Triangle (LT) in the South American countries of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Lithium mining is negatively affecting natural resources and ecologies in the LT, in turn creating challenges for nearby communities including indigenous people in the area. Science diplomacy could strengthen relationships and communication between Northern and Southern American countries and more equitably distribute the social and environmental costs and benefits of lithium extraction and EV sales and operations. This paper explores how science diplomacy can foster the governance processes and scientific inputs needed to support more sustainable and just supply chains. It demonstrates higher benefits at the use stage of the EV supply chain in North America, and higher costs at the raw materials extraction for lithium in the EV supply chain in South America. This paper also calls attention to standards and measures that could be applied to sustainable mining. We document best practices, lessons learned, and gaps in collaborative potential between interdisciplinary and transitional stakeholders to develop definitions, measures, and goals across the entire supply chain of lithium for EV batteries.","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125349308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ada Inman, Bryce Bray, María Inés Carabajal, M. Curry, Kristofer Patron-Soberano, Andrea Chavez Michaelsen
Science and education represent the world’s best opportunity to tackle global environmental challenges and to make progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals). We address the challenges academic institutions face for effective community engagement through education and extension initiatives and present the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N) framework as a best practice. EPIC-N represents a new paradigm on experiential learning, service learning, and partnership learning that occurs off campus with community organizations and local governments. EPIC-N operates in the US, Africa, and Asia and has started to grow larger in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2022. We argue that the co-production of knowledge methods used by EPIC-N partnerships has potential to target awareness, understanding and action to develop and implement improved strategies at the city and community level to advance SDGs in Latin America. As a disclaimer, we would like to note that all authors of this manuscript are currently, or have previously, been employed by EPIC-N.
{"title":"A New Vision of Sustainable Communities: Transforming Communities and Academia via the EPIC Model","authors":"Ada Inman, Bryce Bray, María Inés Carabajal, M. Curry, Kristofer Patron-Soberano, Andrea Chavez Michaelsen","doi":"10.38126/jspg220206","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg220206","url":null,"abstract":"Science and education represent the world’s best opportunity to tackle global environmental challenges and to make progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals). We address the challenges academic institutions face for effective community engagement through education and extension initiatives and present the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N) framework as a best practice. EPIC-N represents a new paradigm on experiential learning, service learning, and partnership learning that occurs off campus with community organizations and local governments. EPIC-N operates in the US, Africa, and Asia and has started to grow larger in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2022. We argue that the co-production of knowledge methods used by EPIC-N partnerships has potential to target awareness, understanding and action to develop and implement improved strategies at the city and community level to advance SDGs in Latin America. As a disclaimer, we would like to note that all authors of this manuscript are currently, or have previously, been employed by EPIC-N.","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130372485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This policy position paper begins with a historical overview of the invention and uses of various plastic types, particularly polyethylene, which has become the most widely used plastic commercially. It highlights the rapid growth of our dependence on plastics and the subsequent mismanagement, which has led to their omnipresent and pervasive presence as pollutants, threatening biodiversity, climate change, ocean health, economic sustainability, and human health. The paper also provides an overview of plastic draft laws proposed by lawmakers at the Brazilian Houses of Representatives, emphasizing the importance of delivering effective policies, setting targets and priorities, and aligning with global trends to address the plastic pollution crisis and transition towards a circular economy. The section on governance opportunities examines a practical recommendation specific to Brazil, and subsequently presents ambitious pathways for global standardization and implementation of Environment and Social Governance (ESG). Additionally, a policy roadmap is suggested to incorporate existing approaches, promising strategies, UN Ocean Decade targets, and address concerns identified during the negotiations among UN Member States for a binding legal agreement by 2024 (Plastic Pollution INC1). In the last section, I present practices for adapting ocean literacy and scientific knowledge for different audiences, such as lawmakers and waste pickers, to support informed decision-making processes. Additionally, I present an overview of the benefits that transitioning to a new plastic economy can bring, ranging from global to local social justice associated with the triple planetary crisis: pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Science diplomacy and stakeholder involvement are strongly recommended to find solutions to the plastic pollution problem and towards transforming the circular plastics economy.
{"title":"Overcoming Plastic Pollution: Challenges Faced by Brazilian Policies and Perspectives for Stakeholder Engagement and Global Governance Opportunities","authors":"Larisse Faroni-Perez","doi":"10.38126/jspg220204","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg220204","url":null,"abstract":"This policy position paper begins with a historical overview of the invention and uses of various plastic types, particularly polyethylene, which has become the most widely used plastic commercially. It highlights the rapid growth of our dependence on plastics and the subsequent mismanagement, which has led to their omnipresent and pervasive presence as pollutants, threatening biodiversity, climate change, ocean health, economic sustainability, and human health. The paper also provides an overview of plastic draft laws proposed by lawmakers at the Brazilian Houses of Representatives, emphasizing the importance of delivering effective policies, setting targets and priorities, and aligning with global trends to address the plastic pollution crisis and transition towards a circular economy. The section on governance opportunities examines a practical recommendation specific to Brazil, and subsequently presents ambitious pathways for global standardization and implementation of Environment and Social Governance (ESG). Additionally, a policy roadmap is suggested to incorporate existing approaches, promising strategies, UN Ocean Decade targets, and address concerns identified during the negotiations among UN Member States for a binding legal agreement by 2024 (Plastic Pollution INC1). In the last section, I present practices for adapting ocean literacy and scientific knowledge for different audiences, such as lawmakers and waste pickers, to support informed decision-making processes. Additionally, I present an overview of the benefits that transitioning to a new plastic economy can bring, ranging from global to local social justice associated with the triple planetary crisis: pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Science diplomacy and stakeholder involvement are strongly recommended to find solutions to the plastic pollution problem and towards transforming the circular plastics economy.","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"89 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124769197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cover Memo: Volume 22, Issue 2, Special Issue on Development Policy and Global Change Science","authors":"Marcos Regis Da Silva, Kim Portness","doi":"10.38126/jspg2202cm","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg2202cm","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123214987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexander B. Belles, Karen E. Beatty, Claire H. Rodman, Charles J. Connolly
In August, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a new policy requiring that all federally funded scholarly research be accessible to the public immediately upon publication. While this open access policy will ultimately benefit society by increasing the availability of data and research outputs, it could place a heavy burden on researchers due to the relatively high cost of open access alongside an academic culture that tends to favor publishing in high impact subscription journals. We examine the complexities of the traditional publishing landscape and offer recommendations for agencies, universities, and publishers to mitigate the impacts on researchers. Specifically, we recommend a short-term increase in funding to cover higher publishing costs, but contributions from all stakeholders are needed to facilitate a long-term solution.
今年8月，白宫科技政策办公室(White House Office of Science and Technology Policy)发布了一项新政策，要求所有由联邦政府资助的学术研究在发表后立即向公众开放。虽然这种开放获取政策最终将通过增加数据和研究成果的可用性而造福社会，但由于开放获取的相对高成本以及倾向于在高影响力订阅期刊上发表的学术文化，它可能会给研究人员带来沉重的负担。我们研究了传统出版环境的复杂性，并为机构、大学和出版商提供建议，以减轻对研究人员的影响。具体来说，我们建议短期增加资金以支付更高的出版成本，但需要所有利益相关者的贡献来促进长期解决方案。
{"title":"Publish, Don’t Perish: Recommendations for Mitigating Impacts of the New Federal Open Access Policy","authors":"Alexander B. Belles, Karen E. Beatty, Claire H. Rodman, Charles J. Connolly","doi":"10.38126/jspg220101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg220101","url":null,"abstract":"In August, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a new policy requiring that all federally funded scholarly research be accessible to the public immediately upon publication. While this open access policy will ultimately benefit society by increasing the availability of data and research outputs, it could place a heavy burden on researchers due to the relatively high cost of open access alongside an academic culture that tends to favor publishing in high impact subscription journals. We examine the complexities of the traditional publishing landscape and offer recommendations for agencies, universities, and publishers to mitigate the impacts on researchers. Specifically, we recommend a short-term increase in funding to cover higher publishing costs, but contributions from all stakeholders are needed to facilitate a long-term solution.","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121607677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Veterans face the possibility of unemployment after their transition into civilian life. Creating STEM pipelines for local communities that guide veterans towards long-term employment is necessary. The implementation of localized veteran pipelines in STEM is instrumental to ensuring that veteran unemployment numbers decrease. Focusing efforts to a small area, such as a fifty-mile radius around a town, fosters intimate connections among the veterans and other members of the pipeline. Pipeline localization gives each program its own support systems to support STEM careers in that specific location, making a difference for veterans in cities and towns everywhere. Enhancing the resources available for veterans to access long-lasting and meaningful careers in STEM is possible with veteran pipelines in STEM programming.
{"title":"Honor, Duty, and Service: A Blueprint for Creating Regional STEM Pipelines To Serve U.S. Military Veterans","authors":"Chelsea Rand-Fleming","doi":"10.38126/jspg220109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg220109","url":null,"abstract":"Veterans face the possibility of unemployment after their transition into civilian life. Creating STEM pipelines for local communities that guide veterans towards long-term employment is necessary. The implementation of localized veteran pipelines in STEM is instrumental to ensuring that veteran unemployment numbers decrease. Focusing efforts to a small area, such as a fifty-mile radius around a town, fosters intimate connections among the veterans and other members of the pipeline. Pipeline localization gives each program its own support systems to support STEM careers in that specific location, making a difference for veterans in cities and towns everywhere. Enhancing the resources available for veterans to access long-lasting and meaningful careers in STEM is possible with veteran pipelines in STEM programming.","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122241506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abby Bratton, Mercy Chado, Austin Davis, Julia Vaillancourt, S. Rothenberg, E. Leo
Past research has substantiated concerns over transparency in medical device clearance and approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including a lack of publicly available data. Transparency in this process is necessary for patients and researchers to understand why products are granted or denied clearance for public use, allowing them to make informed decisions ranging from the innovation of future products to personal healthcare judgements. This insight is important for the premarket notification process known as the “510(k) pathway,” the regulatory process through which most medical devices are cleared for commercial distribution in the United States. This process relies on demonstrations that a new product is substantially equivalent to an existing product on the market, referred to as a predicate device. One metric of transparency of the 510(k) pathway is the public availability of 510(k) submission summaries and the data they contain on substantially equivalent predicate devices. We analyze predicate data availability for medical ventilation devices cleared through the 510(k) pathway across a range of time intervals and product codes using one-way analysis of variance testing and Tukey’s method of multiple comparison. Out of all cleared medical ventilation devices whose submissions were received from January 1990 through October 2020, 65.64% list publicly available predicate information, primarily through summary documents in the FDA 510(k) Premarket Notification database. There is a statistically significant increase in the percentage of device submissions with available predicate data over time, with predicate data available for 93.17% of all devices submitted in the fifteen-year-period between the beginning of 2005 and the end of 2019.
{"title":"Predicate Data Availability in the Ventilator 510(K) Network","authors":"Abby Bratton, Mercy Chado, Austin Davis, Julia Vaillancourt, S. Rothenberg, E. Leo","doi":"10.38126/jspg220104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg220104","url":null,"abstract":"Past research has substantiated concerns over transparency in medical device clearance and approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including a lack of publicly available data. Transparency in this process is necessary for patients and researchers to understand why products are granted or denied clearance for public use, allowing them to make informed decisions ranging from the innovation of future products to personal healthcare judgements. This insight is important for the premarket notification process known as the “510(k) pathway,” the regulatory process through which most medical devices are cleared for commercial distribution in the United States. This process relies on demonstrations that a new product is substantially equivalent to an existing product on the market, referred to as a predicate device. \u0000\u0000One metric of transparency of the 510(k) pathway is the public availability of 510(k) submission summaries and the data they contain on substantially equivalent predicate devices. We analyze predicate data availability for medical ventilation devices cleared through the 510(k) pathway across a range of time intervals and product codes using one-way analysis of variance testing and Tukey’s method of multiple comparison. Out of all cleared medical ventilation devices whose submissions were received from January 1990 through October 2020, 65.64% list publicly available predicate information, primarily through summary documents in the FDA 510(k) Premarket Notification database. There is a statistically significant increase in the percentage of device submissions with available predicate data over time, with predicate data available for 93.17% of all devices submitted in the fifteen-year-period between the beginning of 2005 and the end of 2019.","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134585041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. Carrillo, Catalina Frigerio, María Jesús Valenzuela, Alessia Aquaro, J. Mauduit, I. Steenmans, María Paz Sandoval
Digital technologies’ development and their ubiquity has significantly changed the way information is collected and shared. These changes are also observed in the ways that knowledge and information used to design and implement Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policies are increasingly made accessible via digital platforms. Lacking, however, are evaluation frameworks to measure the performance and effectiveness of public information systems used for STI policy work. This limits what we know about what aspects work for whom, when, and why. As a response to this gap limiting our collective capacity for improving their utility, this paper presents an assessment framework tool for STI policy-focused digital knowledge platforms. Our proposition is informed by theoretical lessons from the areas of work on Knowledge Infrastructures (KIs) and Next Generation Repositories (NGRs), and practical experiences from policy professionals working in STI policy domains. The tool’s architecture is structured around three interdependent thematic pillars of performance in the production, aggregation, distribution, and maintenance of knowledge in digital information platforms: the communities pillar, the technical systems pillar, and the sustainability pillar. To test the design and utility of our proposed evaluation framework, we applied it on a digital platform of STI policy instruments maintained by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Global Observatory for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (GO-SPIN) platform. We conclude with reflections on future areas for evaluation framework development.
{"title":"The Performance Gap of Policy Information Systems: A Knowledge Infrastructure Assessment Framework","authors":"E. Carrillo, Catalina Frigerio, María Jesús Valenzuela, Alessia Aquaro, J. Mauduit, I. Steenmans, María Paz Sandoval","doi":"10.38126/jspg220105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg220105","url":null,"abstract":"Digital technologies’ development and their ubiquity has significantly changed the way information is collected and shared. These changes are also observed in the ways that knowledge and information used to design and implement Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policies are increasingly made accessible via digital platforms. Lacking, however, are evaluation frameworks to measure the performance and effectiveness of public information systems used for STI policy work. This limits what we know about what aspects work for whom, when, and why. As a response to this gap limiting our collective capacity for improving their utility, this paper presents an assessment framework tool for STI policy-focused digital knowledge platforms. Our proposition is informed by theoretical lessons from the areas of work on Knowledge Infrastructures (KIs) and Next Generation Repositories (NGRs), and practical experiences from policy professionals working in STI policy domains. The tool’s architecture is structured around three interdependent thematic pillars of performance in the production, aggregation, distribution, and maintenance of knowledge in digital information platforms: the communities pillar, the technical systems pillar, and the sustainability pillar. To test the design and utility of our proposed evaluation framework, we applied it on a digital platform of STI policy instruments maintained by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Global Observatory for Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (GO-SPIN) platform. We conclude with reflections on future areas for evaluation framework development.","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115015411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shakiyya Bland, Chanda Jefferson, Ashley Kearney, S. Willis
This article invokes a maritime call to educators and STEM community members, communicating the urgent need for metaphorical waterways as pathways for young people to navigate various -ships (apprenticeships, internships, mentorship, and partnerships) to improve access to future careers in STEM. We call on all education and community members to embrace the concept of inclusive and accessible pathways rather than a restrictive pipeline mindset in designing STEM education, mentorship, and apprenticeship programs. Educators, researchers, policymakers, and STEM community partners can embed experiential learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom through career exploration apprenticeships and internships. The authors offer recommendations for school, industry, and organizational partnerships to maximize student success further and prepare them for STEM careers. Educators and STEM community members can collectively leverage resources designed for students to align the classroom curriculum with high-demand skills and long-term job-producing trajectories. Advancing policies to explore STEM in mutually beneficial and culturally relevant ways for current and future educators acts as a tributary that feeds into a larger river. Exemplifying STEM pathways, the confluence of -ships are intentionally redesigned to advance and support STEM interests for learners underrepresented in STEM.
{"title":"Disrupting the Status Quo: Using -Ships to Assist Student Navigation of STEM Pathways","authors":"Shakiyya Bland, Chanda Jefferson, Ashley Kearney, S. Willis","doi":"10.38126/jspg220103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.38126/jspg220103","url":null,"abstract":"This article invokes a maritime call to educators and STEM community members, communicating the urgent need for metaphorical waterways as pathways for young people to navigate various -ships (apprenticeships, internships, mentorship, and partnerships) to improve access to future careers in STEM. We call on all education and community members to embrace the concept of inclusive and accessible pathways rather than a restrictive pipeline mindset in designing STEM education, mentorship, and apprenticeship programs. Educators, researchers, policymakers, and STEM community partners can embed experiential learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom through career exploration apprenticeships and internships. The authors offer recommendations for school, industry, and organizational partnerships to maximize student success further and prepare them for STEM careers. Educators and STEM community members can collectively leverage resources designed for students to align the classroom curriculum with high-demand skills and long-term job-producing trajectories. Advancing policies to explore STEM in mutually beneficial and culturally relevant ways for current and future educators acts as a tributary that feeds into a larger river. Exemplifying STEM pathways, the confluence of -ships are intentionally redesigned to advance and support STEM interests for learners underrepresented in STEM.","PeriodicalId":222224,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Science Policy & Governance","volume":"34 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117243083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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