Public-Policy Decisionmakers

During the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the U S. National Academies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the American Chemistry Council announced a new initiative to facilitate better communication among scientists, policymakers, and other decisionmakers so that scientific knowledge more effectively informs public policy and private sector decisions relating to sustainability in developing countries. More specifically, the goals of the initiative are ... 

The book that follows is best appreciated by a reader who likes numbers and is comfortable with algebra and multivariate calculus as they apply to situations where decisionmakers are optimizing subject to limitations. Because we try to show how numerical simulation can complement econometric studies a basic understanding of regression is also useful background for the reader. We have structured our presentations to be accessible and interesting to undergraduate honors, masters, and doctoral students in the social sciences, public policy, law,... 

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On December 9, 2004, the RAND Corporation hosted a forum on hydrogen energy that drew 40 experts in various fields from the United States, Canada, and Norway. The goal of the forum was to facilitate an open discussion on the analyses and actions that are needed to inform decisionmakers in the public and private sectors on the opportunities, benefits, and costs of various hydrogen-related programs and policies. 

Decisionmakers in the public and private sectors do not have all the information they need for determining whether to invest in hydrogen research or to make investments in the infrastructure that would be needed to use hydrogen as a source of energy. Decisionmakers also lack information to help them decide whether to formulate policies that will hasten the development of hydrogen as a viable energy source. 

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