Advising the Government:
Creating Sound Science
Policy
Kelvin K. Droegemeier
University of Oklahoma
Meteorology Public Policy Class
13 March 2013
The Elusive Concept of
“Policy”
 What
is it?
 Who/what determine it?
 Who enforces it?
 How is it changed?
 How do we avoid bad policy?
According to Webster…
 Policy
is…
– Any plan or course of action designed to
influence and determine decisions or
actions
– A guiding principle or procedure
Some OU Examples
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Doctoral qualifying exam
Private use of University Internet
Use of cell phones
Make-up exams and tardy submission of
homework
Sexual harassment
Nepotism
Ethical conduct of research
Private consulting
“Public” Policy
 Is
a process that draws out the
collective wisdom of a diverse group to
reach a common public goal
 Does not involve the generation of
knowledge, but the (wise) use of it
National Examples

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Immigration
Gun control
Carbon Dioxide omissions
Education standards
Welfare
Land conservation
Foreign policy – assistance to other nations
Rates of industrial emission of toxic materials
Stem cells/cloning
UAV integration into national airspace
system/privacy issues
Development of Science
Policy

Scientists discover and communicate facts and
uncertainties
 Policy analysts consider the above in light of values held
by various sectors and frame the problems as well as
propose courses of action
 Policymakers assess the significance by making value
judgments to determine how research outcomes will be
applied
 Communicators (media, government) facilitate
understanding by the public
Some Challenging Policy
Issues
 Global
climate change
 Genetic engineering/cloning
 Stem cell research
 Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and
deep injection wells
 Others…
An “Iron Triangle”
Policy Makers/Legislators
Advocates/Lobbyists
Scientists
An “Iron Triangle”
Don’t want to make
Policy Makers/Legislators decisions that upset
their constituency;
pass the buck to the
scientist  funding!
Advocates/Lobbyists
Scientists
An “Iron Triangle”
Policy Makers/Legislators
Advocates/Lobbyists
Get $$ to expand
knowledge and help
resolve policy issues
(IPCC)
Scientists
An “Iron Triangle”
Policy Makers/Legislators
Looking for
scientific
data to support
their
position
Advocates/Lobbyists
Scientists
An “Iron Triangle”
Policy Makers/Legislators
Looking for
scientific data
to support
their
position
Looking for
scientific
data to support
their
position
Advocates/Lobbyists
Scientists
An “Iron Triangle”
Policy Makers/Legislators
Looking for
scientific
data to support
their
position
Looking for
scientific data
to support
their
position
Provided the outcome
supports their position!
Advocates/Lobbyists
Scientists
Science Becomes the Battle
Ground
 Legitimate
debate about values and
interests is being replaced by tactics of
professional character assassination,
spin
 The war zone: policy analysis versus
political advocacy
The War Zone
 Policy
analysis increases the range of
alternatives available to decision
makers by associating scientific
results with a range of choices and
outcomes
The War Zone
 Political
advocacy decreases the
range of alternatives, often down to
a single result that supports the view
of a party or legislator
Example: Global Warming
 The
IPCC does not assess scientific results
in the context of policy
 Leads to interpretation by advocates,
lobbyists, industry, interest groups
 The objective research outcomes fit
everyone’s need but are entirely politicized
So Who Advises the
Government? FORMALLY
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Office of Science and Technology Policy (in the Office of the
White House – President’s Science Advisor) (OSTP)
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
(PCAST)
National Academies (via the National Research Council, the NAS
operating arm)
National Science Board (NSB)
National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
Professionals (via formal Congressional hearings)
Others (e.g., Council on Environmental Quality)
So Who Advises the
Government? INFORMALLY

Lobbyists
 UCAR, professional societies (AMS), trade
organizations (AWCIA)
 Political action committees
 Civic organizations, Chambers of Commerce
 Non-profits and think tanks
 For-profit companies
 Individual citizens
OTSP

Political appointees (reflect Admin views)
 Loaners from other agencies
NSTC
National Academies

Chartered by President Lincoln
 Advises the nation on issues of science, technology and
medicine
 Enlists the nation’s most eminent scientists and
engineers

Coordinates federal environmental efforts and works
closely with agencies and other White House offices in
the development of environmental policies and
initiatives.
 Reports annually to the President on the state of the
environment
– oversees federal agency implementation of the environmental
impact assessment process
– acts as a referee when agencies disagree over the adequacy of
such assessments.
The National Science Board
Origin of the National Science
Foundation: The Manhattan Project

Intensive 2-year, $2B (in 1940 dollars) effort
to build a fission weapon to end World War
II
 Involved hundreds of academic scientists and
technicians – universities were raided
 Los Alamos was created to bring everyone
together in a secure location
 At end of war, scientists were heroes
(penicillin, radar, the bomb)
 Office of Scientific Research and
Development (OSRD) was created to fund
research projects in university and industrial
laboratories – precursor to the NSF
Key Individual
Vannevar Bush – President Roosevelt’s
science advisor
 Directed the OSRD
 Convinced President Roosevelt that the
best way to continue using US
researchers was to keep them on their
campuses and fund them with Federal
dollars
 This was a bold new idea
– $20 M in research at universities in
1930s
– $90 M by mid 1940s

Manifesto that Created NSF
V. Bush (1945)
Available at http://www.nsf.gov
The NSF Act of 1950
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So-called “Organic Act” that established the NSF
Signed into law by President Truman on May 10, 1950
Mission: To promote the progress of science; to advance the
national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national
defense; and for other purposes.
“The NSF Shall Consist of a National Science Board … and a
Director”
Unlike ALL other agencies that have science components
(NASA, NOAA, DOE, DOD, EPA, USGS, etc), the NSF does
not reside within a Cabinet Department – it is completely
independent
NSF thus is not a traditional “mission agency” though it has
a clear mission!
One of the best run agencies in Government
Support:
Total Federal
Federal Basic
Research
Support at
Institutions
Research at Academic
BasicAcademic
Institutions
$12.6B
NIH
61%
NSF
20%
Other
19%
The NSF Today

Annual budget of $7B
 The NSF is unique – it funds all
areas of science and engineering
(exclusive of medicine)
National Science Board Roles and
Responsibilities

The NSB is part of the NSF
 The NSB
– Establishes Policies of the
National Science Foundation
– Oversees and guides the
activities of the National Science
Foundation
– Serves as an independent
national science policy body that
provides advice to the President
and the Congress on matters of
national science and engineering
policy
National Science Board
Membership
24 members with the NSF Director an ex-officio
• Every 2 years, 8 people are nominated by the President,
confirmed by the Senate for 6-year terms
• Nomination based upon distinguished service and
preeminence in research, education, or public service
• Represent academia, industry, and a range of science and
engineering disciplines and geographic areas
Meet 5-6 times per year in person including a retreat,
supplemented with teleconferences
Most work done in committees
National Science Board
Publications and Awards

Respond to Congressional Requests
– Budgetary and Programmatic Expansion
 Initiate and Conduct Studies
– Workforce
– Infrastructure
– Environment
– International
– Federal Research Priorities
– Education
 Publish S&E Indicators
 Administer Honorary Awards
Advising the President and
Congress

Responding to Congressional Inquiries
 Initiating its own activities
 The NSB is very unique and valuable as an
advisory body because it
– Answers to no Cabinet department
– Can be fully candid and not fear political
pressure
Advising the President and
Congress

Responding to Congressional Inquiries
 Initiating its own activities
 The NSB is very unique and valuable as an
advisory body because it
– Answers to no Cabinet department
– Can be fully candid and not fear political
pressure
Important Example
Advising the President and
Congress

Responding to Congressional Inquiries
 Initiating its own activities
 The NSB is very unique and valuable as an
advisory body because it
– Answers to no Cabinet department
– Can be fully candid and not fear political
pressure
Available at http://www.nsf.gov/nsb
Gathering Community Input
Who Protects Us From Bad
Policy?
Today, COGR's primary function is to provide advice and information to its membership and to make
certain that federal agencies understand academic operations and the impact of proposed regulations on
colleges and universities. COGR helps to develop policies and practices that fairly reflect the mutual
interests and separate obligations of federal agencies and universities in research and graduate
education.

An independent,
nonpartisan agency that
works for Congress.
 Often called the
"congressional
watchdog," GAO
investigates how the
federal government
spends taxpayer
dollars.
Seat of the Pants or Informed
Strategy?
Ways to Become Involved

As individual citizens: meeting with Members
of Congress (each has local offices)
 Serving as a AAAS Fellow in Federal agencies
 Serving on Agency boards and committees
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NOAA Science Advisory Board
NSF Directorate Advisory Committees
Being invited to testify at Congressional
hearings
 Joining advocacy groups and contributing to
campaigns
Don’t Just Wing It!!!