The Role of Research and Science in Decision Making over Reduced Emissions through Avoided Deforestation

submission intended for the Panel 4: Linking policy networks and policy learning: Social interactions, belief updates and policy change Since 2007, efforts to design and implement a mechanism to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) are ongoing in tropical forest countries. To realize the required transformational policy change for establishing REDD+, a number of national and international research organizations aim to inform the policy processes by providing evidence, guidance and tools for effective, efficient and equitable REDD+. However, policymaking is a complex process influenced by a multitude of factors which are not always transparent, and is executed by policy makers who do not always act rationally but rather opinion-based. In this context, scientists and researchers are in a continuous situation of competition with other actors in the policy arena, for example lobbyists, pressure groups, consultants etc. Literature suggests that these groups are often better organised and better linked to policy makers. This questions the level of influence of experts and scientific information in policy processes. In this paper, we investigate the role of research organsiations involved in REDD+ policy arenas in 3 countries, with data collected in 2012, and in 2015 as part of a global comparative policy study. We conducted a policy network analysis to determine how and by whom reliable scientific information is requested and shared within national REDD+ policy arenas. By employing measures of centrality and brokerage the comparative analysis allows us to assess the role of science and research and the implications for an effective, evidence-based REDD+ policy design.