Evidence-based Management in a Domain of Contested Information: Public Managers, Climate Change, and the Precursor of Knowledge Management

Abstract

Accurate information is necessary for addressing the many problems found in an increasingly complex world. Public managers are expected to embrace the evidence-based practice of emphasizing the role of scientific information in the decision making process. Nowhere should this be truer than in complex issue domains, like climate change. With a focus on the barriers to the use of scientific knowledge (cognitive influences, situational/organizational contexts, and the nature of scientific information), this project uses a survey of local, state, and regional-national agencies to examine the use of scientific information in climate change policy. This project presents a clearer picture of the conditions that aid an individual to overcome the barriers to the use of climate change information.