Welcome Again Climate Progress Readers

Joe Romm has done another headline post on me. Joe spends some time on my book, The Honest Broker. Here is just a sampling of editorial reviews:

Nature (23 August 2007) by Andrew A. Rosenberg:

"Happily, the book by Roger Pielke, Jr. on the engagement of scientists in policy offers a pithy, insightful basis for discussing the contributions scientists can make to advising policy makers. . ."

"This is a clear, thought-provoking book that helps move us away from thinking of science as 'pure' and distinct from policy. It would make an excellent basis for a graduate seminar. It isn't a textbook, but a think-piece, and we all need to consider carefully our responsibility to engage as scientists in policy making."

Science (17 August 2007) by Nathan E. Hultman

"In The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics, Roger Pielke Jr. successfully illuminates these challenges to science and scientists."

"Pielke's framework provides a helpful starting point for investigating factors that complicate the science-society relationship. . . Pielke deftly shows how scientists selections among these options can affect outcomes."

"the books direct language and concrete examples convey the concepts to a wide audience. By categorizing different roles in the often vexed but necessary relations between scientists and their social world, Pielke clarifies choices not only for scientists but also for the diverse members of democratic society, for whom scientific perspectives are an essential component of better policy."

Bioscience (April 2008) by EPA Scientist Robert Lackey:

"The Honest Broker is a must-read...An important book...it should be read by everyone."

Minerva (November 2008) by Mark B. Brown:

. . . for anyone interested in a policy-oriented perspective on science advice, The Honest Broker offers an accessible and stimulating guide to improving the role of science advisors in politics and policymaking.

Isis (September 2008) by Ronald E. Dohl:

“...original, thought-provoking book”

“...important contribution Pielke has made to the history of recent science.”

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (May 2008) by Mark Shafer:

Pielke's discussion of climate change politics is excellent. He seizes on the central issue in climate change politics: that those opposed to action (based on value decisions) raise scientific uncertainty as a reason for delay or inaction. In response, scientists focus on reducing or eliminating uncertainty to undermine grounds for opposition to action rather than focusing on the merits of the argument, which is really a values-based decision irrespectie of the science.

The basic framework of the book and its discussion of the importance of considering values and uncertainty are strong. the numerous examples he offers are instructive. Anyone engaged in policy, even on the periphery, would benefit from this discussion.

Review of Policy Research (January 2008) by Eugene Skolnikoff:

"...this is a book that makes a genuine important contribution..."

"...the book is a valuable addition to the science and policy scene..."

The New Atlantis (Summer edition) by Jonathan Adler:

In Honest Broker, which takes only a few hours to read, he provides an incredibly concise and insightful assessment of the role of science (and scientists) in policy and a framework for evaluating the fit between the two as well as for identifying cases of "stealth advocacy." The thrust of the book resonates particularly well with environmental policy and its administration through agencies with science-policy missions, such as EPA, Fish & Wildlife, and the Forest Service, although by no means is it limited to that context in either content or usefulness.