There have been a flurry of articles of late listing important things that scientists, politicians and the public should know about each other. I am collating them here because I enjoyed each of the pieces and think it likely that I (or others) will want to consult them in the future.
First to appear was a piece in Nature in November by William Sutherland, David Spiegelhalter and Mark Burgman — Policy: Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims (which mutated into the Top 20 things politicians need to know about science when reported in the Guardian).
In reply a couple of weeks later Chris Tyler, the Director of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, listed his Top 20 things scientists need to know about policy-making.
Just two days after Tyler’s post, Roland Jackson of Sciencewise, a programme devoted to fostering public discourse about science policy, sought to remind both scientists and policy makers about the general public by enumerating 12 things policy-makers and scientists should know about the public.
Whilst offering a range of perspectives, there is certainly overlap between the 52 points; I recommend each of them as a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the intersection of science, people and policy.
Digital, Data & Policy 