[ad_1]
“For 20 years, my work as a basic scientist has been [to] Publish your paper and throw it on the wall for others to apply. Now I realize that there is no one on the other side of the wall, just a huge pile of papers that we all threw away. ” These words from Duncan Watts, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, will resonate with many researchers frustrated by the difficulty of translating good science into good government policy.
But what can we do about it? For scientists who can take a sabbatical, one of the less appreciated answers is to spend time working for the government. In the United States, these experiences are called tours of service, and they strengthen agency capacity and expertise, bring new perspectives to policymaking, and build lasting relationships between government and outside researchers. can.
How tackling real-world problems has changed my teaching and research
Sabbaticals in policy work help scientists identify urgent and understudied research areas, communicate their findings to decision makers, and translate that knowledge into action. It can also increase your reputation and visibility both within academia and outside of academia.
Governments around the world are facing unprecedented challenges related to science and technology, from climate change to artificial intelligence, but they also struggle with insufficient funding or finding the relevant expertise. I often have trouble with it. Scientific expertise to design and implement sound, robust, evidence-based policies is urgently needed. I have seen firsthand the impact of bringing technical expertise into government at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research organization based in Washington, DC. For the past several years, FAS’ Talent Hub has been helping U.S. federal agencies recruit world-class talent. Last year, the program had 71 of his researchers join him on one- to two-year study tours.
Advertising agencies have limited budgets and philanthropy, which results in fewer jobs being offered than are needed. Last year, FAS and the Institute for Progress, a think tank in Washington, D.C., launched a sabbatical in service to address this gap. This pilot project leverages paid, flexible sabbaticals in academia by helping match academics with sabbatical credits to federal agencies, increasing the potential for their expertise to influence policy. there is. It draws inspiration from successful university-level public service programs such as the Stanford Impact Lab at Stanford University in California.
Certainly, taking a sabbatical to work for the government instead of writing a book or completing a research fellowship doesn’t appeal to everyone. However, many of the concerns about this option are overstated. Concerns that six months or a year is not enough time to effect change do not explain the long-term value of the relationships established by such arrangements. The impact of efforts to strengthen evidence-based policymaking is being overlooked due to concerns that policymakers will not be receptive to scientists’ perspectives. Concerns about opportunity costs also undervalue the insights and research avenues that can be gained through direct policy engagement.
How scientists can inform policy decisions
Many scholars who have gone on service tours tout these benefits. During a policy sabbatical through the Stanford Impact Lab’s Service Scholars program, Ira Litt, an education researcher at Stanford University, did much more than a typical sabbatical, and she never expected. He said he learned by doing it. And after completing his USDA fellowship, Gay Miller, a veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, continued to work with the agency to model the effects of foreign livestock diseases.
Many researchers who could excel in government roles simply don’t know what government does. To begin raising awareness, scientists can look for information about opportunities and supporting organizations. This includes FAS and other nonprofit organizations such as the Washington, D.C.-based American Association for the Advancement of Science, Horizon Public Service Corporation, and Research4Impact. In Baltimore, Maryland — discuss the role of policy with colleagues.
Researchers cannot do this alone. More universities should support scientists on research tours by providing guidance, mentoring, and networking opportunities, and by allowing policy sabbaticals in the promotion, tenure, and hiring processes.
Government agencies can also facilitate this path. You should start by publicly listing contact information for interested scientists, and those with experience recruiting and engaging with academics should be encouraged to share their knowledge with others. can. Ultimately, government agencies could build sustainable programs for short-term placements for researchers. Good models include the Congressional Budget Office’s Visiting Scholars Program, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Cloke Visiting Scholars Program, and the U.S. Department of State-U.S. Jefferson Science Fellowship. Agency for International Development.
Together, we can reimagine the metaphorical wall between science and policy into something more appealing. By helping scholars effectively navigate the other side, we can advance evidence-based policy and impactful science.
competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
[ad_2]
Source link
