Knowledge Transferring in Science-Policy Process

Environmental policies often strongly depend on environmental monitoring data, yet these increasing datasets are not always used effectively in enacting and implementing public policy. We assumed that the collaboration of scientists and policy makers makes the science-policy process difficult. In the view of this, this paper addresses to clarify the mechanisms of knowledge transferring from scientists to policy makers. We discussed the roles of scientific information in terms of scientists' seeds and policy makers' needs. As a result, it reveals that the scientific information gives big efforts to the process of policy making. However, whether the information would transform into policy relevant knowledge or not depends on how policy makers perceive it. This transformation process can be expressed by 2x2 matrix to show the relation between scientists' seed and policy makers' need. If policy makers think the information provided by scientists is useful, the information successfully transferred into policy-relevant scientific knowledge. If it is not, it reveals the gap with causes: distance or direction.The original publication is available at JAIST Press http://www.jaist.ac.jp/library/jaist-press/index.htmlProceedings of KSS'2007 : The Eighth International Symposium on Knowledge and Systems Sciences : November 5-7, 2007, [Ishikawa High-Tech Conference Center, Nomi, Ishikawa, JAPAN]Organized by: Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technolog