During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments had to make decisions under great uncertainty and with a lack of knowledge. Science played a central role in political crisis management. It had to generate data under high pressure and produce solid findings to inform political decisions.
But how can policymakers be advised in the best possible way, what can science do in such complex situations? In the KIRAS project "Epistemic security – on scientific expertise in chronic crises", Alexander Bogner and his team from the Institute of Technology Assessment (ITA) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences analyzed how scientific policy advice can be designed and what resources are needed to promote trust and create transparency. To this end, previous experiences in Austria, Germany and the UK were compared.
According to the researchers, it is particularly important not to make political decisions entirely dependent on science and to also involve the population.