Policy relevance of Critical Zone Science

The Study of Critical Realism Implications in Evaluation of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Making

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify and extract the implications of critical realism for science, technology and innovation policy-making as one of the later research traditions in social sciences. Nevertheless, its main focus, according to the different stages of the policy-making cycle and extent of its contributing factors, is on the stage of "policy evaluation". Methods: Thi...

Applying behavioural science to government policy: Finding the ‘Goldilocks Zone’

Using behavioural and social science to inform government policy has the potential to benefit society – provided good scientific practice is adopted. We argue that there are threats to scientific practice in the current Behavioural Insights environment that potentially undermine the validity and usefulness of such work. We discuss what constitutes good science and why this is important, and exa...

Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory

History of science and American science policy.

Historians of science have participated actively in debates over American science policy in the post-World War II period in a variety of ways, but their impact has been more to elucidate general concepts than to effect specific policy changes. Personal experiences, in the case of the debate over global warming, have demonstrated both the value and the limits of such involvement for the making o...

Educational policy makers’ views on secondary education relevance to the world of work in Iran: a critical reflection on 1990s educational reform

This paper reports the results of a qualitative study about the effectiveness of major reforms taken place in 1990s towards closing down the gap between general upper secondary education and the economy in Iran. The study aimed to analyse questions such as: To what extent dose Iranian secondary education meet current and future needs of labour market? How satisfied are employers and other key s...