Public advocates, private advisors: the autonomy, function, and influence of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

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dc.citation.articleNumber1455510en_US
dc.citation.journalTitleFrontiers in Research Metrics and Analyticsen_US
dc.contributor.authorEvans, Kenneth M.en_US
dc.contributor.authorMatthews, Kirstin R.W.en_US
dc.contributor.orgBaker Institute Science and Technology Policy Programen_US
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-13T17:36:55Zen_US
dc.date.available2025-01-13T17:36:55Zen_US
dc.date.issued2024en_US
dc.description.abstractUS national expert advisory bodies related to science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy have a wide range of missions, governing structures, operational practices, cultures, and impact on federal policymaking. This paper offers an analytical framework for assessing the autonomy, function, and influence of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), a federal advisory committee consisting of 30 elite scientists, engineers, and industry leaders appointed by and advising the president. We demonstrate that PCAST carries both a strong instrumental advisory role, providing substantive advice to White House STI policy development, and a significant symbolic advisory role, offering visible public support to presidential decisions and initiatives related to STI. However, we find that the council’s engagement with either or both roles has shifted depending on its available resources, the policy agenda of the administration it serves, the level of presidential attention, and the priorities of council leadership. The paper concludes with recommendations to guide future PCASTs in fulfilling their mission and appropriately influencing US national STI policy.en_US
dc.identifier.citationEvans, K. M., & Matthews, K. R. W. (2024). Public advocates, private advisors: The autonomy, function, and influence of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2024.1455510en_US
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2024.1455510en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/118154en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherFrontiers Media S.A.en_US
dc.rightsExcept where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the terms of the license or beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.subject.keywordexpertiseen_US
dc.subject.keywordscience-policy nexusen_US
dc.subject.keywordadvisory committeesen_US
dc.subject.keywordpublic policymakingen_US
dc.subject.keywordnegotiationen_US
dc.titlePublic advocates, private advisors: the autonomy, function, and influence of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technologyen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.type.dcmiTexten_US
dc.type.publicationpublisher versionen_US
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