Determinants of Science Policy Change and the Need for Reform in Congressional Decision-Making

Abstract

Science impacts nearly all aspects of American society. However, the extent of this impact depends on favorable legislation. Given the key role Congress plays in policymaking, it is necessary to determine what factors cause legislators to change science policy so that researchers can determine more successful ways of producing meaningful science policy outputs. I therefore measure the influence of eleven political variables on policy change in science and four other issue areas during thirty-one congressional terms. Results reveal that scholars need to identify a more effective method Congress can use to contemplate science policy change, which I propose needs to incorporate both expertise and citizen participation.