Environmental Policy and Citizen Science: Conflict or Cooperation?

• In Event: Citizen Science, Law and Policy - II

Abstract

In the realm of environmental policy, citizen science projects appear to be complimentary and reinforcing elements of the governance system. To date, these projects have been celebrated for impacts such as advancing scientific literacy and extending the reach of monitoring. However, many participants are these projects are engaged in co-production of data, and several examples illustrate that process itself can render the information qualitatively distinct and different than other environmental data. This, in turn, may stimulate demand among citizens for additional regulation, thereby placing them in a sort of conflictual relationship with the state. The paper argues for the necessity of scale as an analytical category in unpacking the relationship with environmental policy and innovation in regulation. The impacts of both existing projects as well as potential future opportunities will be considered.

Author

• Sharon Moran, SUNY - Environmental Science and Foresty