Reinvigorating the Role of Science in Democracy

Abstract

Private and political interests routinely conspire to sideline and misrepresent science and evidence in the public policy process. The Center for Science and Democracy, a new initiative at the Union of Concerned Scientists, endeavors to change this dynamic to strengthen the role of science in decision making.

COVID-19: effectiveness of socioeconomic factors in containing the spread and mortality

“…Given a strong background in science, it may also enable them to effectively filter the sensationalized information in news media. For example, people trust media information from public health officials rather than government politicians because of their belief in scientific experts (Baekkeskov and Rubin 2014) and policymakers should engage scientists and nonscientists alike in making good policy decisions (Rosenberg et al 2013). This result of the importance of science knowledge is also consistent with the broader literature on the positive relationship between better education and good health (Cutler and Lleras-Muney 2010;Lleras-Muney 2005,;Conti, Heckman, and Urzua 2010).…”

“…We assess the effect of education in mathematical and scientific knowledge separately among countries by using the PISA scores on the COVID-19 incidence. Public knowledge in science is important in shaping policy-making process for pandemic (Rosenberg et al 2013). Establishing these social norms is part of a product of past education.…”

“…Many papers have studied how government response such as movement restrictions can contain the virus spread and death (Baccini and Brodeur 2020; Bargain and Aminjonov 2020;Béland, Brodeur, and Wright 2020;Moser and Yared 2020;Yilmazkuday 2020; among others), but we join Bargain and Aminjonov (2020), Briscese et al (2020), Chen, Frey, and Presidente (2020), Nay (2020), Litan and Lowy (2020), Nikolaev, Boudreaux, and Salahodjaev (2017), and Schwartz (2012) among others in considering how personal freedoms affect the spread of COVID-19 or vice versa. Motivated by Cutler and Lleras-Muney (2010), Lleras-Muney (2005), and Conti, Heckman, and Urzua (2010) on the important relationship between education and health, and by Leung et al (2003), Tang and Wong (2004), Bawazir et al (2018), Barr et al (2008), Bish and Michie (2010), and Rosenberg et al (2013) among others on the importance of science education, in processing facts and making decisions, we study how young adults' way of thinking mathematically and scientifically separately affect the spread of COVID-19 by using Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores. The acquisition of knowledge in mathematics and science by young adults attained in secondary education is a part of the total social system.…”

Applied ecologists in a landscape of fear

“…There is little doubt that an open and democratic society, where there are no barriers to collaboration or freedom of expression, benefits science as a whole (Rosenberg, Halpern, Shulman, Wexler, & Phartiyal, ). Science can even support democratic foundations in itself, as an informed public will theoretically make more appropriate choices.…”

Collection Overview: Ten Years of Wonderful Open Access Science

“…Yet we don't seek just to provoke debate, but also to enlighten; take a moment to read Georgina Mace's editorial on the current issues and debates in the sustainability sciences [3]. We also try to break down barriers between fields [4] and to promote public engagement with science [5],[6].…”