Who’s The Expert? The Role of Scientific Advisory Boards in the Policy Process

In this project, we investigate the role of scientific advisory boards in the development of science and technology policy in the U.S. since WWII. In particular, we examine the scientific advisory boards that are created to advise the president on science policy making. The president functions as an important agenda setter in the policy process; as such, the creation of a scientific advisory board can function as an important agenda-setting signal from the president. This project focuses on an analysis of advisory boards because they are important players in the policy process yet their role is largely ignored by the dominant theories of the policy process (i.e. advocacy coalition framework, multiple streams, punctuated equilibrium, social construction). As such, learning more about their role as actors in the policy process can help scholars understand the dynamics of policymaking. Further, investigating the composition and actions of these advisory boards can provide additional insights into the ways presidents use scientific advisory boards to advance their policy agenda. In this project, our goal is to add to the theoretical understanding of the policy process by weaving together insights from literatures on policy theory, science policy, and the presidency literature with empirical data on the structure, composition, and actions of scientific advisory committees to better conceptualize the role of advisory committees and the president as actors in the policy making process. We focus on science and technology policy for several reasons. Because it is an under-examined area of public policymaking, an examination of this policy domain might result in different understandings of the role of advisory committees and presidents in the policy process. Additionally, it is primarily characterized as a policy area that lacks public salience at the same time it has an abundance of technical complexity. Such characteristics suggest that the president may have little to gain from pursuing science and technology policy goals; yet prior research on presidential executive orders and speeches suggests that presidents are quite active in this policy domain. Each of the authors of this project lends specific expertise in theories of science and technology (Dolgoy) and the empirical study of public policy (Johnson). Because of the interdisciplinary background of the co-authors, this project will speak to audiences interested in the policy process, science and technology policy, political theory, and the institution of the presidency. We also think this paper fits particularly well with the theme of the “Emerging Perspectives on Policy Change” panel and will engage questions regarding who can be considered a policy actor, how policy actors interact with other institutions, and how critical junctures in history influence policy processes.