Special issue: reconciling the supply of and demand for research in the science of science and innovation policy

Abstract

The articles in this special issue emerged from a joint United States/Norwegian meeting held in May 2009 in Oslo, Norway, that considered how science policy research does (or does not) support the information needs of science policy decision makers and steps that might be taken to improve such connections. The central question of the workshop was: How can scholars who study science and innovation policy contribute more effectively to the needs of policy makers facing decisions about science and innovation policy? Efforts to address these questions from a range of perspectives are found in the following five articles. Since science and innovation policy encompass an enormous diversity of issues and processes, matched by an equally numerous and diverse set of agencies and actors who conceive, advocate, and implement science and innovation policies, John Marburger III, science advisor to President George W. Bush 2001–2009, raises the question, ‘‘How Can Scholars who Study Science and Innovation Policy Contribute More Effectively to the Needs of Policy Makers Facing Decisions About Science and Innovation Policy?’’ in his introductory editorial essay, which is published posthumously. In the remaining research-oriented pieces, Magnus Gulbrandsen begins by addressing the challenges of establishing and maintaining legitimacy in hybrid organizations like research institutes that must complete in arenas where science and non-science as well public and private values collide in his article ‘‘Research institutes as hybrid organizations: central challenges to their legitimacy,’’ Barry Bozeman, Catherine P. Slade, and Paul Hirsch follow this by proposing a conceptual model that encourages more systematic analysis of social equity in science policy in their article, ‘‘Inequity in the distribution of science and technology outcomes: A conceptual model.’’ Nathaniel Logar calls into question the utility of existing theories that are meant to guide the creation of usable science and technology products from federal research projects in ‘‘Scholarly science policy models and real policy, RSD for SciSIP in US Mission Agencies.’’ Finally, Shobita Parthasarathy identifies differences in the US and European patent offices and how public interest is treated in the different processes of decision