Front Row Seat

How Science Can (and Can’t) Shape Public Decision-Making

Häftad, Engelska, 2026

429 kr

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Responding to the terrorist attack on a Christchurch mosque and a global pandemic, the volcanic eruption at Whakaari/White Island and the occupation of Parliament grounds, for six years Dame Juliet Gerrard stood next to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her successors to provide the insights that science might bring to decisions on issues of public importance.Sometimes these were emergencies: How fast will Covid spread? How many people are likely to die under different policies? Will the mosque terrorist produce copycats? And sometimes they were longer-term issues: What does the science say about cannabis? Should we worry about 5G or genetic engineering? Will it be easy or hard to get rid of plastic bags? Through case studies like these, Gerrard reflects on the realities of providing evidence to inform policy in the political arena – unpacking the tensions and drawing out general principles.For anyone interested in evidence and public policy, Front Row Seat is a readable insider account of how science can (and can’t) help us solve big public issues.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-09-10
Mått140 x 210 x undefined mm
Vikt410 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor244
FörlagAuckland University Press
MedarbetareJacinda Ardern
ISBN9781776711932

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Foreword, by Jacinda ArdernPrefaceChapter One: Introducing RITAChapter Two: When Are Hearts and Minds Open to Evidence?Moving Beyond Social LicenceCase Study 1: Rethinking plasticsCase Study 2: The future of commercial fishing in Aotearoa New ZealandWhat can we learn?Chapter Three: Three EmergenciesThe Role of Science Advise in Short, Sharp and Long, Slow CrisesCase Study 3: A mosque shootingCase Study 4: A volcanic eruptionCase Study 5: A pandemicWhat can we learn?Chapter Four: There's Something in the WaterScience Advice in Contested SpacesCase Study 5: Why do we need another G anyway?Case Study 6: FluorideCase Study 7: NitratesCase Study 8: Minimising gang harmWhat can we learn?Chapter Five: Both Sides NowWhat Can We Learn from the Special Case of Providing Evidence to Inform a Referendum?Case Study 10: Weeding through the evidence on cannabisWhat can we learn?Chapter Six: Science and Technology Will Save Us?Contested Narratives on Emerged and Emerging TechnologiesCase Study 11: Antimicrobial resistanceCase Study 12: Artificial intelligence and health What can we learn?Chapter Seven: GE in GE-Free New Zealand?Getting Tricky Issues onto the Policy AgendaCase Study 13: GE in GE-free New Zealand?What can we learn?Chapter Eight: Waste Not, Want NotIndependence, Problem Farming, and Political WillCase Study 14: Food rescue, food loss, food wasteWhat can we learn?Chapter Nine: Lessons Learned, Challenges AheadEpilogueAppendixAcknowledgementsTerminology Used in this BookNotesIndex

‘Juliet Gerrard’s Front Row Seat offers a comprehensive look at what was a very challenging period for New Zealand, one in which science advice played a crucial role. It is to Gerrard’s credit that the more exceptional events (a terrorist attack, an eruption, a pandemic) don’t dominate the book. Indeed, she offers a wide range of case studies, and in doing so, traverses almost all the terrain a science advisor could be expected to encounter. I found the text very readable . . . Gerrard’s warmth and sense of humour also come through strongly.’