Abstract
CITATION: Czachur, M. V. et al. 2021. Opening the floor for discussion : a perspective on how scholars perceive attitudes to science in policymaking in South Africa. South African Journal of Science, 117(1/2):7948, doi:10.17159/sajs.2021/7948.
Highlights
Opening the floor for discussion: A perspective on how scholars perceive attitudes to science in policymaking in South Africa
The discussion was part of a Science Communication Masterclass hosted by the South African Research Chair in Science Communication and Econnect Communication, Australia
The purpose of the group discussion was to develop a science communication strategy that would enhance the sharing of scientific research outputs with policymakers in South Africa
Summary
The term ‘policymaker’ is widely used to refer to people who have political influence that directly develops or changes policies, regulations, rules and directives. The group acknowledged that policymakers’ networks are from different sectors (e.g. private, government, NGOs); identifying and connecting with a person or department as the access point might be challenging for researchers, as well as to further report the scientific findings or shape the information to the specific public.[1] We bring to this Commentary a range of research experience that broadly encompasses environmental conservation, ethics, health, packaging development, food science, fisheries, and invasive species management. There are many scientists working in science councils and other parastatals, such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), as well as in government departments, who engage more frequently with policymakers, and in different ways from those experienced by scientists embedded in universities Recognising these differences, we discussed some of the perceptions that policymakers might have about research and identified several problem areas, the most significant of which are outlined below
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