CSH Talk by Achim Edelmann: “What shapes scientists’ position taking in contested public debates?”

The lecture by Achim Edelmann from the University of Bern will take place at the Complexity Science Hub Vienna.

Location: Salon

If you are interested in participating, please email to office@csh.ac.at

What drives scientists’ public support for contentious policy issues? We examined associations between peer exposure and academic specialization on public declarations about research involving potentially pandemic pathogens. Although we found significant peer associations for everyone, they are strongest among the opposition. Conversely, specializing in fields directly related to gain-of-function research predicts support better than specializing in fields related to epidemic risks predicts opposition. These findings suggest that different social processes, rooted in differing social networks and expertise, underlie support or opposition. Identifying the sources of policy support might help parties better understand the different, but legitimate, foundations of each other’s positions, providing additional information to inform decision making and thereby help to maintain science’s role as an objective arbiter for policy.