The Problem of the Improbable Disruptors: Four Views on the Role of Science in Policy-Making

Abstract

This is an essay on a pressing issue that is crucial to societal decision-making on an wide range of policy issues, from climate change to the war against terrorism: the politicization of science. It deals with the relation between science and policy-making in science-based regulation of chemical risk, but its purport is much broader. Specifically, I use a hypothetical case of a category of potentially hazardous chemical substances, called the Improbable Disruptors, to illustrate the various ways in which science can be influenced by special interests and explained to politicians, and how the metaphysical rules of science and the presentation of scientific information can be used to influence government policies and regulatory decisions.

Keywords: science-based policy, scientific advice, politicization of science, science-based risk regulation, philosophy of science, sociology of science, science and society, science studies

JEL Classification: I18, O38, Q28, Q58