Policymaking for Global Change Research: The Role of CEES

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9412606 Lambright This project will prepare a case history of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). The study will combine and use appropriate social science concepts in a political constructionist approach. This approach focuses on political and policy processes, examining the roles of key actors in governmental processes that require networking and strategies. A major issue in this effort is the negotiation of boundaries between science and policy -- and scientists and politicians. Recognition of this form of negotiation is the contribution of social constructionism. The USGCRP is one of the largest and most extensive research efforts in the federal government. Begun in 1987, it has grown to have a $1.5 billion budget, spread through at least nine agencies. The first official "Presidential Initiative," it later became the first designated multi-agency endeavor intended both to build good science and usefully serve policymakers. While criticized for weakness in policy relevance, it nevertheless is also being expanded and used by the Clinton Administration as a model for other major national research initiatives that cut across agencies. Understanding the forces that have shaped USGCRP, particularly the mechanism that governed the program -- the interagency Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES) -- will provide some lessons for national research policy for other endeavors. Results from this project will include presentations, articles and a book. ***