Starting a new effort to develop "Science for science, technology and innovation policy" as a science and establish a translational scientific method for the policy making is dated almost two years ago. It comes from fragile circumstances with complexities and diversification in value of sense in modern and globalized society. In such a situation public expectation for the role of science and technology development and innovative creativity for changing society has been growing. It is highly important to pursue evidence-based policy making with scientific thought and accountability for the public with transparency. I, myself as an economist, feel a central issue on this program had better focusing upon understanding of the impacts that STI and public STI policies have on the economy and on society: a) developing new tools and techniques to analyze the economic and social impacts of STI; b) examining the role and impact of STI policies; c) exploring the potential impacts of emerging, converging and enabling technologies.

View full abstract

The world is now facing a paradigm shift. Many countries speed up the reform of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy for creating future societies. Also in Japan, new STI policy is redefined in the fourth Science and Technology Basic Plan. Based on this, various renovations in policy formation are underway, especially in the following perspectives: 1. Reform of STI policy in a global era 2. Evolution of policy formation mechanism 3. Evolution of policy system in research and development I sincerely hope that STI policy in a global era will be renovated by co-evolution of "Science for policy" and improvement of "policy formation mechanism".

View full abstract

In this special issue, we organize each article into three parts. Part I introduced background on science of science, technology, and innovation policy and current activities in other countries. In Part II, we presented theory, methodology, and research examples in relating disciplines. This part aims to share expertise in those disciplines and to encourage coordination and collaboration among disciplines. In Part III, we discuss issues and approaches to utilize academic contribution in policy making process and social process.

View full abstract

This special issue on "Science of science, technology and innovation policy" mainly focuses on the various initiatives taken by many countries, which have been triggered by the speech by Dr. Marburger, the then-science adviser to the president in the United States, at Science and Technology Policy Forum of AAAS of April 2005. However, the studies on science and technology innovation policy are not something bursting in the 21st century, but has a long history back to 1950's, developing along with changing policy needs of science, technology and innovation. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the relevant research areas is conducted through two ways. Firstly, survey articles and a major handbook are reviewed to grasp a bird-eye view of this research area. Secondly, a review on research trends is conducted, with respect to several perspectives based on the authors group's views.

View full abstract

This article identifies major issues of science, technology and innovation related policies from political science perspective. Specifically this article focuses on discretional decisions involving political judgments embedded in science, technology and innovation related policies and regulations, and mechanism/institutional design for those decisions. Power relations among actors are built in those decisions. Concretely, first, the scope of science, technology and innovation policies is delineated as a precondition. Second, arenas of discretional decisions and power relations among actors on those decisions are identified in the context of risk assessment and risk management involving selecting/weighting of various risks/benefits and judgment relating to uncertainty and values. Focused actors include governmental organizations, experts, private enterprises and various international organizations. Third, issues related to institutional design of knowledge production and accident investigation are identified. Fourth, mechanisms and power relations of lock-in of socio-technical systems and unlocking of those systems are identified. Finally, roles and issues of comprehensive coordinating mechanism and assessment mechanism/method are identified.

View full abstract

The aim of this article is to consider the implications for "Science of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy" from the viewpoints of Policy Sciences. Policy Study was started as "Policy Sciences" to improve policymaking system by providing two knowledge, knowledge of process and knowledge in process. At first, Policy Study had the "preference for automation", which remove politics from policymaking process. Several reforms, such as PPBS, have been done, but these reforms could not succeed. Facing these failures, Policy Study has tried to develop new analytical frameworks based on post positivism. And these experiences showed the implications for "Science of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy", especially on three phases. First, on the phase of analysis of policy problem, Policy Study examined the methods and process of problem structuring, and also pointed out the importance of framing to recognize and define the problem. Second, on the phase of making of policy alternatives, Policy Study pointed out the existence of three types of knowledge to form policy alternatives and developed the frameworks of policy analysis to use local knowledge. Third, on the phase of knowledge utilization, Policy Study showed the notion of policy learning and examined the institutional constraints on policymaking.

View full abstract

Scientific papers and patents are important information on science and technology for innovation. They are medium to disseminate latest research output and means to protect intellectual property, and also resource to comprehend status and trend of research and development. However, it is becoming hard to grasp a comprehensive view because of exponential growth of papers and patents publications accelerated by increasing importance of science and technology and also global competition. The role of information science in science of science, technology and innovation policy is to assist and enable efficient and effective analysis of a vast amount of information and to feed structured knowledge which is necessary and fitted at different level and phase of policy making process like policy, policy measures, programs, and projects. In this paper, I illustrate recent achievement of academic research by focusing on support system of research project design, and discuss a way to implement those research and tools in policy making process.

View full abstract

The object of this short paper is to show a possibility for the historical approach to launch a research program in "Science for Policy in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy." How does writing a history resolve such highly modem problems as related to "Science and Technology" as well as "Innovation"? To answer this question, this paper proposes the method I would name "contemporary historical approach as a policy study." Obtaining policy expertise on science and technology has mostly depended upon the social sciences like economics and management, and other science studies. However, I would like to suggest that the historical approach is no less powerful than quantitative examinations by other social sciences for two reasons. First, policy-related investigations usually focus on what has happened during the recent couple decades, whose description itself can be regarded as a "contemporary history." Second, the evidence-based historical account can instill a sense of "reality" to understanding the background of policy analysis. The contemporary historical approach I would propose is not a simple reproduction of our past experiences. It would be most important to do as much data-collection and fact-findings as possible, to exploit memories of the interviewed persons, and to select only meaningful facts out of them. In so doing, this approach would bring in more realistic explanations to the current policy studies.

View full abstract

After briefly reviewing the Japanese policy evaluation system and the relationship between science, policy research, and policy analysis, this article examines the role of "Science of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy".

View full abstract

The key of "Science of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy" is to connect policy formation and policy studies. Process and knowledge structure of policy formation is completely different from that of policy studies. The carrier developments of policy makers and researchers in Japan are also isolated. It is necessary to decompose knowledge of both policy formation and policy studies, and then reconstruct them for policy agenda. Its process is intellectual challenge for both parts of policy makers and researchers. The path to mutual understandings of both is not simple and consists of several steps: ignorance, dialogue, excessive expectations, repellency and mutual understanding. There are various activities of academic societies, government agencies and universities such as workshops and fellowships to connect policy makers and researchers. The most important is to talk each other directly and frankly after appropriate reviews in organizations and academic communities.

View full abstract

In this paper, authors attempted a evidence-based evaluation on the effects of regional science and technology policy. In order to deepen an understanding of the factors determining the boundary of regional innovation system, the prior studies on the function of networks were reviewed. This investigation derived a working hypothesis that a open network among the actors have an ambivalent effect on innovations. Then a policy program focused on the making networks were chosen as an object of analysis for evaluating the effects of network extensity on success of industrialization in the adopted projects. As a result supports the hypothesis, authors derived a policy implication that a proper openness of network is important to pursue the advantages of extension and cohesion in concurrently.

View full abstract

By taking his ongoing R&D project entitled to "Scientometrics conducive to management of funding programs" as a case, the author explains some management devices designed for the project to promote interactions between practitioners and researchers, and he discusses their effects. Although it is too early to generalize experiences from the project, such interactions could promote exchanges of information on R&D seeds and needs among participants, even in some cases, to result in unexpected applications of technology currently under development. Moreover, if researchers exemplified "applications" of developing technology more or less specifically to practitioners, visualization of their needs might be stimulated.

View full abstract

Analysis and practice on ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of science and technology increasingly requires co-operations between a variety of stakeholders and becomes more integrative with other frameworks including biosecurity and technology assessment (TA). These frameworks share a perspective on dynamic construction of technology and society by wider collaborations and networks. Against this backdrop, ideas and activities collectively dubbed as 'responsible research and innovation' (RRI) are developing particularly in the EU policy research context. RRI is concerned with the purposes of research and innovation while putting emphasis on the integration of established mechanisms of reflection and inclusive deliberation. As scientists can insist freedom of research only by taking response-ability to the society with its orientation to the future, ELSI and RRI are now required to facilitate collaborations of scientists and other various stakeholders and apportion responsibilities between the engaged individuals and their affiliations.

View full abstract

This paper first analyzes the effects of migration on the research performance of eight Japanese scientists who moved to the USA. Four of those have returned to Japan (examples of brain circulation) and the others are examples of brain drain. In both cases, the research conducted in the USA has a higher impact than research conducted in Japan when the impact was measured by the number of citations. This paper also examines the effects of the international co-authorship on citation impact. In the previous research, the effects were tested by macro data. This paper uses micro data, which enables us to control the influences of differences in scientists' capabilities. As a result, in the cases of the brain circulation, the international collaboration beyond borders increases the impact. On the other hand, all the cases of the brain drain show a negative impact on citation regarding collaborative research with Japanese scientists.

View full abstract