Science, the Public and Scientific Expertise in a World of Wicked Problems

This project seeks to explore the role of science and scientific expertise as the foundation for politics and policy-making. It focus on settings where the framing of a debate and/or urgent decisions has to be made on grounds where uncertainty reigns concerning factual claims; high stakes are involved; and the values upon which a viable course of action should be based are in dispute. Such a setting has been coined ‘post normal’ by Ravetz and Funtowics, who has also added the term ‘wicked problem’ to settings, where there is also disagreement about the framing of such problems. Taking a multidisciplinary approach this project investigates the role of science and expertise in different domains ranging from public debate and controversy to political decision-making – as well as the foundation for understanding the relations between science and these domains at all.