Rescuing Science from Politics: Regulation and the Distortion of Scientific Research

By: Wagner, Wendy

Book Overview

Rescuing Science from Politics debuts chapters by the nation's leading academics in law, science, and philosophy who explore ways that the law can be abused by special interests to intrude on the way scientists conduct research. The high stakes and adversarial features of regulation create the worst possible climate for the honest production and use of science especially by those who will ultimately bear the cost of the resulting regulatory standards. Yet an in-depth exploration of the ways in which dominant interest groups distort the available science to support their positions has received little attention in the academic or popular literature. The book begins by establishing non-controversial principles of good scientific practice. These principles then serve as the benchmark against which each chapter author compares how science is misused in a specific regulatory setting and assist in isolating problems in the integration of science by the regulatory process.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521540097
• ISBN13: 9780521540094
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 332 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Rescuing Our Children...

Today, at least one of out of every 15 children under the age of three has a food allergy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimate that one out of every 150 children has autism (it was one out of every 1,250 in 1996); and childhood obesity is discussed in lunchrooms and boardrooms across America. Apparently there is something in our food creating this juvenile health crisis, only according to this courageous book, the "complex truth" has been distorted. This is a must-read for every mother in America.

Important book for those who care about science, law, public policy ...and abuses thereof

The editorial reviews have described this book pretty well. Science, law, and public policy have some strange interactions, and citizens should get informed about them. This is especially important given the number of Orwellian terms like "sound science" or the Data Quality Act, which in practice mean just the opposite. This is a good source for understanding the issues, which are increasingly important, as we face many public policy issues that need good science as input.