Usable Knowledge PDF Download

Author: Gary E. Machlis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Social sciences
Languages : en
Pages : 90

View

Book Description

Author: Sterling Professor of Economics and Political Science Charles E Lindblom
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300023367
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 144

View

Book Description
The problem that gives rise to this book is dissatisfaction with social science and social research as instruments of social problem solving. Policy makers and other practical problem solvers frequently voice disappointment with what they are offered. And many social scientists and social researchers think they should be more drawn upon, more useful, and more influential. Out of the discontent have come numerous diagnoses and prescriptions. This thoughtful contribution to the discussion provides an agenda of basic questions that should be asked and answered by those who are concerned about the impact of social science and research on real life problems. In general, Cohen and Lindblom believe that social scientists are crippled by a misunderstanding of their own trade, and they suggest that the tools of their trade be applied to the trade itself. Social scientists do not always fully appreciate that professional social inquiry is only one of several ways of solving a problem. They are also often engaged in a mistaken pursuit of authoritativeness, not recognizing that their contribution can never be more than a partial one. Cohen and Lindblom suggest that they reexamine their criteria for selecting subjects for research, study their tactics as compared to those of policy makers, and consider more carefully their role in relation to other routes to problem solving. To stimulate further inquiry into these fundamental issues, they also provide a comprehensive bibliography.

Author: Ergonomics Society. Conference
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9780748403288
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 598

View

Book Description

Author: Helga Nowotny
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 184

View

Book Description
Three important areas that are impacting research in the social sciences are examined in this book. First, the author discusses changes in the structure and use of time as a major societal mechanism. This is followed by an analysis of the growing link between scientific-technological knowledge and its practical application in a wider social context. Finally, the author examines some of the difficulties arising in the dialogue between producers and consumers of social science knowledge within an ever-changing context.

Author: Esther Turnhout
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108627110
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289

View

Book Description
An important goal of environmental research is to inform policy and decision making. However, environmental experts working at the interface between science, policy and society face complex challenges, including how to identify sources of disagreement over environmental issues, communicate uncertainties and limitations of knowledge, and tackle controversial topics such as genetic modification and the use of biofuels. This book discusses the problems environmental experts encounter in the interaction between knowledge, society, and policy on both a practical and conceptual level. Key findings from social science research are illustrated with a range of case studies, from fisheries to fracking. The book offers guidance on how to tackle these challenges, equipping readers with tools to better understand the diversity of environmental knowledge and its role in complex environmental issues. Written by leading natural and social scientists, this text provides an essential resource for students, scientists and professionals working at the science-policy interface.

Author: Neil J. Smelser
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520273567
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 434

View

Book Description
"Usable Social Science represents a remarkable collaboration between Neil J. Smelser, one of America’s most distinguished sociologists, and John Reed, a highly successful member of corporate America. Together, they accomplish an even more remarkable feat of making accumulated social science knowledge accessible to non-academics while, at the same time, making an academic contribution to the social sciences by reviewing the history, accumulated findings, and conceptual approaches in key areas of specialization in sociology and elsewhere in the social sciences."—Jonathan H. Turner, University Professor & Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of California, Riverside. “This book is an ambitious project to provide the public with a review of the available and practicable knowledge for decision-making people (and who is not that today?) that the social sciences have produced over the last 250 years or so. Typically, such efforts are bound to fail. But this project is a full success, keeping its promise to present knowledge in an understandable and exciting way. The language is charming and the elegant prose is the product of a fluent, transparent style. In short: a must read!”—Hans-Peter Mueller, Professor of sociology, Humboldt-University of Berlin.

Author: D.G. Brian Jones
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136334378
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 212

View

Book Description
Pioneers in Marketing: A Collection of Biographical Essays discusses eight historically important marketing scholars whose careers collectively spanned over 100 years. An introductory chapter describes the role of biography in the study of marketing thought, and introduces the eight subjects in this collection. Subsequent chapters describe the lives of Edward David Jones, Simon Litman, Henry Charles Taylor, Percival White, George Burton Hotchkiss, Theodore N. Beckman, David D. Monieson, and William R. Davidson, focusing on their intellectual and professional contributions to the marketing discipline. The biographies are based on rare archival materials, some personal interviews, and analysis of the subjects’ major works. The final chapter draws lessons from the collection for marketing students and teachers. Several important discoveries are reported that suggest opportunities for further research. These stories will inform and inspire students of marketing.

Author: Annabelle Littoz-Monnet
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1134879717
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 228

View

Book Description
This edited volume advances existing research on the production and use of expert knowledge by international bureaucracies. Given the complexity, technicality and apparent apolitical character of the issues dealt with in global governance arenas, ‘evidence-based’ policy-making has imposed itself as the best way to evaluate the risks and consequences of political action in global arenas. In the absence of alternative, democratic modes of legitimation, international organizations have adopted this approach to policy-making. By treating international bureaucracies as strategic actors, this volume address novel questions: why and how do international bureaucrats deploy knowledge in policy-making? Where does the knowledge they use come from, and how can we retrace pathways between the origins of certain ideas and their adoption by international administrations? What kind of evidence do international bureaucrats resort to, and with what implications? Which types of knowledge are seen as authoritative, and why? This volume makes a crucial contribution to our understanding of the way global policy agendas are shaped and propagated. It will be of great interest to scholars, policy-makers and practitioners in the fields of public policy, international relations, global governance and international organizations.

Author: Rolf Lidskog
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262016508
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 385

View

Book Description
Experts offer theoretical and empirical analyses that view the regulation of transboundary air pollution as a dynamic process. Governing the Air looks at the regulation of air pollution not as a static procedure of enactment and agreement but as a dynamic process that reflects the shifting interrelationships of science, policy, and citizens. Taking transboundary air pollution in Europe as its empirical focus, the book not only assesses the particular regulation strategies that have evolved to govern European air, but also offers theoretical insights into dynamics of social order, political negotiation, and scientific practices. These dynamics are of pivotal concern today, in light of emerging international governance problems related to climate change. The contributors, all prominent social scientists specializing in international environmental governance, review earlier findings, analyze the current situation, and discuss future directions for both empirical and theoretical work. The chapters discuss the institutional dimensions of international efforts to combat air pollution, examining the effectiveness of CLRTAP (Convention for Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution) and the political complexity of the European Union; offer a broad overview and detailed case studies of the roles of science, expertise, and learning; and examine the "missing link" in air pollution policies: citizen involvement. Changing political conditions, evolving scientific knowledge, and the need for citizen engagement offer significant challenges for air pollution policy making. By focusing on process rather than product, learning rather than knowledge, and strategies rather than interests, this book gives a nuanced view of how air pollution is made governable.

Author: Tom Dedeurwaerdere
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1003827586
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 187

View

Book Description
This book addresses the gap in the existing literature on the governance of transdisciplinary research partnerships in transformational sustainability research by exploring the governance of knowledge co-production in coupled socio-ecological system dynamics. Multiple social and ecological crises raise new cross-sectoral research questions that call for an evolution in contemporary science in the direction of society-wide knowledge co-production on sustainability transformations of interdependent social and ecological systems. This book proposes a new approach to this based on enabling capacities for collaboration among scientific researchers and societal actors with diverse values, perspectives, and research interests. By drawing upon the thriving literature on the conditions for community and multistakeholder-driven collective action, the analysis sheds new light on the governance arrangements for organizing so-called transdisciplinary research partnerships for sustainability. This book identifies robust conditions that lead to effective collaborative research with societal actors and digs deeper into capacity building for partnership research through fostering social learning on sustainability values among research partners and organizing training and knowledge exchange at institutions of higher education. The book proposes solutions for addressing collective action challenges in transdisciplinary partnerships in an accessible and broadly interdisciplinary manner to a large audience of sustainability scholars and practitioners. It will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of sustainable development, social ecological transitions, and science policy, while also being a useful resource for engineers, QSE managers, and policymakers.