Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making in Developing Countries

EPA Grant Number: X3830860
Title: Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making in Developing Countries
Investigators: Boright, John , Holliday, Laura , Koshel, Pat
Institution: The National Academies
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: March 25, 2003 through August 31, 2006
Project Amount: $260,000
RFA: Interdisciplinary (2002) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Environmental Justice

Objective:

The overall objective of this research project was to facilitate better communication between scientists, policymakers and other decision makers so that scientific knowledge could more effectively influence public policy and private sector decisions relating to sustainability in developing countries.

More specifically, the partnership targets were:

Foster improved understanding of the science and decision-making process, including national and local policy, industrial design and planning, and public choices;
Establish a dialogue in which decision-makers use science to inform their decisions and scientists consider the needs of decision-makers in their choice of research;
Identify gaps between the needs of decision-makers and scientific research priorities and strategies for bridging these gaps, including ways to increase the professional connection between scientists and decision-makers, and;
Share workshop results, via summaries and briefings, with a broader audience of scientists and decision-makers in the host country and internationally.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

To achieve these objectives, the partners (see list below) organized series of "science in decision-making workshops" in developing countries on key issues of particular concern to the host country such as ground water, persistent organic pollutants, and management of scarce water resources for agriculture. The workshops convened representatives from host country and U.S. scientific institutions, government, industry, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and other relevant organizations. Crosscutting themes include monitoring and data valuation; elements of good science advice; facilitating the flow of scientific information; and the roles of institutions that link scientists and decision-makers.

Workshop topics were proposed by science organizations in developing countries. A committee established by the U.S. National Academies reviewed all proposals and provided general oversight for the series. The workshop co-chairs– one from the respective developing country and one from the United States – designed each workshop, which are organized in a collaborative process involving the U.S. National Academies and one or more science organizations from the developing country

Partners

Members of the partnership recognized that wise decisions about sustainable development must be based on a foundation of solid scientific and technical information. The partnership involved the following organizations:

U.S. National Academies
InterAcademy Panel
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
American Chemistry Council
Mexican Academy of Sciences
State Environmental Protection Administration of China
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Scientific Committee on Programs of the Environment, China
National Council for Science and the Environment
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
H. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
Third World Academy of Sciences

The initiative’s first workshop, “Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making for Sustainable Management of Ground Water in Mexico,” was a joint workshop between the U.S. National Academies and the Mexican Academy of Sciences. It was held February 8-10, 2004, in Mérida, Mexico. For the workshop featured in this proceedings “Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making for Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Mexico” workshop co-chairs Dr. Luis Marin, Professor of Geology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) and Dr. Henry Vaux, Professor of Resource Economics and Associate Vice President Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley were instrumental in designing the workshop agenda and ensuring productive discussions. The Yucatan Center for Scientific Research (Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de Yucatán) graciously hosted the workshop, in their Merida facility.

The second workshop, “Strengthening Science-Based Decision Making –Implementing the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants” was held June 8-10, 2004, in Beijing, China. The workshop was organized by the US National Academies and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.” workshop co-chairs Dr. Lu Yonglong, Research Professor and Secretary-General, SCOPE-China and Dr. John Giesy, Distinguished Professor of Zoology, Michigan State University. Many of the technical papers from this workshop were published in the August, 2005, issue of Chemosphere.

The third workshop titled “Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making for Agricultural Water Management.” took place June 4-9, 2005, in Tunisia. This workshop was organized Dr. Sihem Benabdallah, Professor of Geochemistry Physics and Chemistry of Water at the National Institute of Scientific and Technical Research and Dr. Henry Vaux, Professor of Resource Economics and Associate Vice President Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley.

Conclusions:

The most important result of the workshop and of the Partnership more broadly has been to facilitate better communication among scientists, policymakers, and other decision-makers so that scientific knowledge can more effectively inform public policy and private sector decisions relating to sustainability in developing countries. More specifically, the Partners accomplished the following goals:

Fostered improved understanding of the science and decision-making process, including national and local policy, industrial design and planning, and public choices;
Established a dialogue in which decision-makers use science to inform their decisions and scientists consider the needs of decision-makers in their choice of research;
Identified gaps between the needs of decision-makers and scientific research priorities and strategies for bridging these gaps, including ways to increase the professional connection between scientists and decision-makers, and;
Shared information about the principles of science-based decision-making, via summaries and briefings, with a broader audience of scientists and decision-makers in Islamic countries.

Other Achievements:

Following the Mexico workshop, a Center for Water Studies was started in Cancun with strong support from the Water Network of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. This center currently has six scientists and five technicians. In addition, the Peninsula of Yucatan’s Basin Council has organized a series of meetings between local scientists and water-level policy makers.

Scientists from the Chinese Academyof Sciences have participated in the formulation and review of the Chinese National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, The Chinese Academy has also been involved in providing policy analysis, studying alternative technology development, and field investigations on POPs.

Participants in the Tunisian workshop are now regularly present at international meetings on water resources where they exchange information with scholars and water managers from around the world.

Lessons Learned

Copies of an informal report describing lessons learned were provided to the EPA project manager last year.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 3 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

RFA, Scientific Discipline, Economic, Social, & Behavioral Science Research Program, Economics & Decision Making, Environmental Chemistry, decision-making, Social Science, behavior change, corporate environmental behavior, developing countries, environmental decision making, science based decision making, decision making

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.