Institute Director Vedlitz along with Senior Fellow, James Stoutenborough, and Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo have published their article, “How to Win Friends and Influence People: Climate Scientists’ Perspectives on their Relationship with and Influence on Government Officials,” in the Journal of Public Policy. Noting the increasingly important role of expert scientists in complex policy issues, the researchers examine the perceptions scientists have of their influence on the policy process. Using the results from interviews with 514 climate scientists conducted as part of a NOAA funded study, the researchers explore how individual scientists perceive the collective influence of the scientific community on climate change policymaking and the nature of the relationships between scientists and policymakers. These climate scientists have all been published in at least one of 13 internationally renowned scientific journals that are the most cited in the field. Factors considered in this study include trust, contact, attitudes, specialization, and demographics. Based on their analyses, the researchers find that, from the perspective of the scientists, contact with policymakers, trust, and attitudes about climate change play a significant role in shaping their relationships with policymakers.
James W. Stoutenborough, Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, and Arnold Vedlitz. 2015. “How to Win Friends and Influence People: Climate Scientists’ Perspectives on their Relationship with and Influence on Government Officials.” Journal of Public Policy 35(2): 269–296. DOI: 10.1017/S0143814X15000112.
