Finding patterns in policy questions.

ABSTRACT: To help advance exchanges between science and policy, a useful first step is to examine the questions which policymakers pose to scientists. The style of a question indicates what the asker is motivated to know, and how they might use that knowledge. Therefore, the aggregate pattern of typical policy inquires can help scientists anticipate what types of information policy audiences desire. A dataset (n = 2972) of questions from policymakers collected over 10 years (2011-2021)-by the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge-was classified into one of seven classes. In the main, the most popular questions posed by policymakers-within the public and private sectors-were those whose answers inform how to achieve specific outcomes-whether directly, or by providing a causal a

SUBMITTER: Osman M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9684423 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature