You are here:
NORMATIVE SCIENCE: A CORRUPTING INFLUENCE IN ECOLOGICAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE POLICY
Citation:
Lackey, R T. NORMATIVE SCIENCE: A CORRUPTING INFLUENCE IN ECOLOGICAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE POLICY. Presented at Seminar at University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, Sept. 21, 2004.
Description:
Effectively resolving the typical ecological or natural resource policy issue requires providing an array of scientific information to decision-makers. The ability of scientists (and scientific information) to constructively inform ecological policy deliberations has been diminished when what is offered as "science" is inculcated with policy preferences. As with all human activity, the scientific enterprise is not free of values, nor is it objectively independent, however, values reflected in subtle form as policy preferences should not be permitted to prejudice scientific information. Scientific information becomes "normative" when it contains tacit policy preferences and thus, by extension, promotes particular policy options. There are many examples of normative science, operating under the guise of policy-neutral science, corrupting the development of sound ecological and natural resource policy. In fact, with its tacitly derived value and preference character, normative science provides little substantive help in reconciling the most divisive elements of ecological policy. In my opinion, scientists should play the important role of "informing" ecological policy discussions with unbiased, understandable, relevant scientific information, assessments, and forecasts. For developing sound ecological policy, science is important, helpful, perhaps even essential, but involvement with policy issues by a naive scientist can lead to loss of credibility and perceived independence unless the proper roles of both science and policy are understood and followed.