BIS: Science, Trust and Public Engagement

As part of a larger project on ‘Science, Trust and Public Engagement – exploring future pathways to good governance’, ‘Science and public trust’ has been established to explore pathways to good governmental governance of science and technology policy.

The new coalition government is transforming the relationship between civil society and the State. Under the banner of the Big Society there has been a focus on openness, decentralisation, smaller government and greater civic responsibilities. This, together with spending constraints and the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review, means that the ways in which science based institutions consider dialogue is likely to change radically over the coming years.

Specifically, these changes not only mean less funding for public engagement, they will fundamentally shift the strategic environment into which decisions play out. In short, the priorities of science based institutions will change. This could mean a host of things: from scientific priorities being shaped explicitly by a greater focus on economic and societal challenges, to new modes of regulation. All of this will mediate the relationship of science and society.

Understanding and of public concerns and values towards science and technology and governance will be approached in five stages:

• Stage 1: A review of the findings from public dialogues, building upon prior studies and syntheses undertaken in the areas of science and technology.

• Stage 2: In-depth interviews with policy makers to consider how governance is framed and the drivers shaping this; and identify the barriers and enablers to taking account of the governance challenges posed by public concerns and values towards science and technology

• Stage 3: Ethnographic work to observe and explore in depth how governance issues play out within two organisations

• Stage 4: Workshops, hosted by the Royal Society, with influential figures in scientific and policy communities to consider the findings from the interviews and help develop recommendations that can galvanise future institutional response

• Stage 5: The development of an report – authored by the Royal Society – highlighting and disseminating these recommendations; and stimulating a wider policy review on science governance

Aims and Objectives

This project aims to understand the relationship between public concerns and values towards science and technology and issues of governance.

Speicific aims of the project include:

• Synthesise public concerns and values on science and technology across a range of domain areas, the drivers that underpin and structure concerns
• Synthesise insights around the substantive governance issues raised through public dialogues in recent years
• Understand how governance is framed by scientific policy makers
• Understand the drivers that will impact on governance in the next 5-10 years
• Understand barriers and enablers to taking account of the governance issues raised by the public
• Develop an account of these findings, together with specific interventions that can be used to overcome barriers and promote enablers.
• Develop recommendations to galvanise action in this area amongst science based organisations

TNS-BMRB provides knowledge that helps Government, the private sector and the Third Sector plan and care for society. Our expertise includes the provision of national statistics, public policy analysis, public service performance measurement and improvement, and communications evaluation. We map and measure values, attitudes and behaviours across society, to explore how Britain is changing. Our work informs policy makers across national and local Government at the highest level.

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