Science and Politics

The recent coronavirus pandemic proved that the time-old notion seems now truer than ever: that science and politics represent a clash of cultures. But why should scientists simply “stick to the facts” and leave politics to the politicians when the world seems to be falling down around us?

Drawing on his experience as both a research scientist and an expert advisor at the centre of government, Ian Boyd takes an empirical approach to examining the current state of the relationship between science and politics. He argues that the way politicians and scientists work together today results in a science that is on tap for ideological (mis)use, and governance that fails to serve humanity’s most fundamental needs. Justice is unlikely—perhaps impossible—while science is not a fully integrated part of the systems for collective decision-making across society.

In Science in Politics, Boyd presents an impassioned argument for a series of conceptual and structural innovations that could resolve this fundamental tension, revealing how a radical intermingling of these (apparently contradictory) professions might provide the world with better politics and better science.

Also available as an audiobook.

Introduction – The Scientific Predicament

Part 1: A Troubled Marriage

1. Beyond two cultures
2. The anatomy of a troubled marriage
3. Inside the politics factory
4. Rationalising the politics factory
5. Gateways to the politics factory
6. Shoring up the marriage

Part 2: The Corruption of Science

7. The subjective by-pass
8. Products of the politics factory – Evidence: quod erat demonstrandum
9. ‘What works’ in the factory?
10. Following the crowd
11. Trust in experts
12. Redefining quality

Part 3: Taming the Beast

13. Playing the paradigm game
14. Taming wickedness
15. Adaptive policy testing: Making policy into science
16. More than just widgets
17. Fixing the marriage

"A must-read for the scientist who believes their evidence is impartial and important and for the policy-maker who champions their decisions as evidence-based. In an elegant exposé, Boyd proves both views are flawed and offers a way forward for both to operate effectively in the politics factory."
Dame Judith Petts, University of Plymouth

"Working with Ian Boyd at DEFRA, I found him to be an incisive and energetic thinker, unafraid to challenge the ideological status quo. Science and Politics is a vital contribution to our understanding of how science can and should inform political decision-making. Boyd points out that, however much we would like to, it is impossible fully to separate science and politics – they dance together in an often tumultuous relationship. Boyd describes politics as a complex, organic system resistant to change through small interventions. This profound insight underscores the need for bold, systemic reforms rather than incremental tweaks. It's time we heed his advice and embrace the substantial changes necessary for a just and sustainable future."
Henry Dimbleby, author of Ravenous and the National Food Strategy

"In this inspiring, if somewhat harrowing, tour of the catacombs underpinning our scientific and political establishments, Ian Boyd draws upon his personal journey from Antarctic scientist, to CSA, to an unleashed version of the off-piste big thinker that he is. This book highlights the clear and present danger of science being poisoned by hocus-pocus or kidnapped by the political factory, whilst offering marriage guidance on a potentially less dysfunctional relationship between science and politics."
Paul Clarke, CBE FREng, independent adviser, inventor and former CTO of Ocado

"Brilliantly written and thought-provoking, Boyd’s book is a warning to scientists that manufacturing evidence designed to please ministers or win ideological battles will do neither, because people will stop trusting them. Every page brings more great insights, compelling examples and sentences I know I will want to quote for years to come."
Fiona Fox, Chief Executive of the Science Media Centre

“I loved this book… [Its] narrative never shies away from robust language, yet it somehow retains an upbeat tenor throughout.”
Nature

"This is an important book that should be read by anyone who cares about how government can better integrate the best science into policy."
Science magazine

Sir Ian Boyd is Bishop Wardlaw Professor in the School of Biology at the University of St. Andrews, Chair of the UK Research Integrity Office, and President of the Royal Society of Biology. He was Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government on Food and the Environment from 2012 to 2019.