POLICY-MAKING
Science has key role in providing understanding as basis for strategy
Advice is needed on issues such as vaccination, youth obesity and legal and illicit drug use affecting the public, writes Peter Gluckman
For the past nine years I had the privilege of being the science adviser to three New Zealand prime ministers. This involved dealing with domestic and international challenges about how science feeds into policymaking that affects the daily lives of every man, woman and child. Examples include vaccination and immunisations, tackling youth obesity and advising on legal and illicit drug use. These "life and death" issues have resonance for countries worldwide. Yet my daily interactions were always flanked by awareness of progress in other countries, and among those were valuable relationships with the SA science system. As a leader in pan-African policy innovation, SA gets the importance of scientific evidence to support laws meeting the nation and its citizens’ needs. I have shared multiple platforms with SA leaders and intellectuals. One of my career highlights was receiving the inaugural American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science Diplomacy Award in 2015, to be fo...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.