Policy analysis, science and politics: from 'speaking truth to power' to 'making sense together'

Argumentative turn Policy analysis , science and politics : from ‘ speaking truth to power ’ to ‘ making sense together ’

In an historical overview, this paper links to the paradox that the increasing scientification of politics leads to a politicisation of science. For a long time, scientists offered their capabilities as ‘speaking truth to power’. Since the beginning of the 1990s, this input has been transformed into an argumentative policy analysis. This reinvigorates political prudence as ‘making sense together’.

Speaking truth to power?

anyone who has read Hilary Mantel’s magnificent Booker prize-winning novel Wolf Hall will be in no doubt about the fate of government advisers who give their masters the wrong advice. During the reign of England’s tudor king, Henry Viii, refusal to recant your views resulted not only in a swift fall from grace and power, but also a short trip from Westminster to the tower of London. if you were...

Science and politics: from science to decision making.

Science and risk assessment are important features of health and environmental legislation in most, if not all, nations. The technique of science-based risk assessment is designed to provide a rational mechanism for distilling and evaluating scientific knowledge regarding the risks of exposure to hazardous chemicals on human health or the environment. The outcome of science-based risk assessmen...

Speaking Truth to Power to Change the Ivory Tower

Speaking truth to power: empowerment ideology as social intervention and policy.

The popularity, and subsequent ambiguity, in the use of the term "empowerment" has created an even greater need for reassessment in the applied context than in the theory and research literatures. This paper outlines some of the areas of community, organizational, and societal level social intervention and policy ostensibly based on the concept of empowerment. These include neighborhood volunta...