What is STPP?

The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan has launched a university-wide educational and research program in science, technology, and public policy (STPP).   In the 2006-2007 academic year, we will be launching graduate certificate and postdoctoral fellowship programs as well as a seminar series.  Please check other parts of this website for additional information and updates about these programs.

Scientific and technological developments are playing increasingly central roles in contemporary societies, and are consequently becoming more frequent topics of political and policy discussion.  In response to increasing demand for experts in the politics and processes of science and technology policymaking as well as a need for sustained intellectual engagement on these issues, the Ford School’s STPP program will enhance existing scholarly and educational attention to two areas.  First, it will explore “science and technology for policy”: how scientific evidence and technological development are used to develop public policy in a broad array of domains such as national security, public health, economic competitiveness, and environmental sustainability.  For example, some policymakers must determine whether research findings on global warming support the creation of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while others must determine how to develop and regulate biometric scanning systems to simultaneously ensure border security and an individual’s civil rights. 

Second, policies directly shaping scientific and technological development (known as “policy for science and technology”) have increasingly become a topic for public debate and political action, as citizens recognize that innovations not only have instrumental uses, offering the neatest electronic gadget or the best chemotherapy, but also have important implications for the environment, economy, religion, health, and the organization of societies.  For example, stem cell research has become controversial in the United States, in large part, because significant segments of the population see this area of investigation as violating their religious beliefs.  Meanwhile, genetically modified organisms have been opposed in Europe both for its potential environmental implications as well as possible consequences for the welfare of the developing world.

Supporting the Ford School’s new STPP program is a growing intellectual interest in science and technology policymaking.  Scholars throughout the world have begun to investigate topics such as: how is (and how should) scientific and technical advice be treated and incorporated into the policymaking process; what role does (and should) the public play in science and technology policymaking; who is best poised to understand the social, ethical, and political consequences of S&T policies; and what analytic tools can scientists, engineers, NGOs, think tanks, and policymakers use to assess science and technology.

Last Updated: January 25, 2007