Virtue and Responsibility in Policy Research and Advice

This book argues that ethical judgment by individual scientific policy advisors is more important than is often acknowledged. While many scientific policy advisors routinely present themselves as neutral or value free scientists, here is demonstrated that the ideal of scientific integrity as neutrality is misguided and that an alternative understanding is demanded. The book provides an overview of the type of social and political value decisions that have to be made in all phases of research and advice. It moves on to examine proposed procedures or guidelines for scientists and critically assesses plans for the democratization of decision making in science and scientific advice. The book offers a reflection on the practice of scientific advice that will appeal to practitioners and scholars of Public Administration, Public Management and Policy Analysis.

List of contents

Ch 1: The ideal of value neutrality in policy research and advice - some inconvenient observations.- Ch 2: Setting the stage: Epistemological and Social values for scientific research and advice.- Ch 3: Deciding what is worth knowing.- Ch 4: Deciding on tools and risks.- Ch 5: Deciding on the advisory role.- Ch 6: Addressing non-epistemological issues.- Ch 7: Solving the issue by distinguishing types of problems.- Ch 8: Solving the issue by bringing in democracy.- Ch 9: Solving the issue by introducing principles and procedures.- Ch 10: Solving the issue by bringing virtue ethics into play.- Ch 11: Conclusion: Scientific policy advice and ethical judgment.

About the author

Berry Tholen is Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the Institute for Management Research Radboud University, the Netherlands.

Summary

Brings together findings from the philosophy of science and from studies on policy advice in a clear and systematic overview
Argues that ethical judgment in scientific policy advice is inevitable
Examines what kind of value decisions an expert advisor in the field of Policy analysis and Public Administration has to make 

Product details

• Authors: Berry Tholen
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.09.2017
• EAN: 9783319652528
• ISBN: 978-3-31-965252-8
• No. of pages: 111
• Dimensions: 171 mm x 219 mm x 13 mm
• Weight: 260 g
• Illustrations: X, 111 p.
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Politics and business; C, Wissenschaftsphilosophie und -theorie, Ethik und Moralphilosophie, Democracy, Political Science, Zentralregierung, Scientific Practice, Philosophy of Science, Ethics & moral philosophy, Political structure & processes, Political Science and International Studies, Public Administration, Public Policy, Moral Philosophy and Applied Ethics, Research Ethics, Research—Moral and ethical aspects, Philosophy and science, Governance and Government, Science Ethics, Virtue Ethics, academic citizen, deontological, utilitarian