Public attitudes, scientific advice and the politics of regulatory policy: the case of BSE

Abstract

The policy response to the UK BSE crisis in 1996 has extended beyond risk management. In particular, the relationship between scientific advice and regulatory policy has been questioned. To regain public trust, scientific advice needs to be evaluated against various criteria, including the quality of the advice, whether it is transparent and intelligible, and the effectiveness of communication practices and strategies. There should be recommendations for best practice regarding public consultation and involvement, and explicit assessment of both scientific advice and public consultation on policy development. These criteria would provide a counter-political imperative to the natural inclination of the existing scientific advisory system to fall back on the style and culture of positivistic science when a problem appears complex, or when lobbying for a particular course of action that supports a particular interest is strong and influential.

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