“Using research to inform policy”
Dr. Katie Gibbs is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Evidence for Democracy, Canada's leading non-partisan and not-for-profit organization promoting science and the transparent use of evidence in government decision making. After obtaining a PhD in Biology, Dr. Gibbs shifted her focus from doing science to making sure science is used by decision-makers.
Dr. Gibbs gave an overview of the policy process, where researchers fit into this process, and how natural and social scientists can work together for greater policy impact. Her 5 tips for policy impact:
- 1) communication is necessary but not sufficient
- 2) relationships are key
- 3) don’t be afraid of advocacy
- 4) know what you don’t know
- 5) be persistent.
You can hear the details in the video of her talk.
Katie’s suggested readings on science policy:
- The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics Paperback . Roger A. Pielke Jr.
- Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think is a 1996 . George Lakoff
- Language Intelligence: Lessons on Persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga . Joseph J. Romm
- The Geek Manifesto: Why Science Matters Reprint Edition . Mark Henderson
