Science policy advice in times of crisis – A publication by the Swiss Science Council
Science must be more involved in policy-making, especially during crises. While it is not possible to set up a reference institute for every imaginable crisis, researchers with an interest in policy advice should create a network and know the points of contact in politics and in the federal administration. Regular exchange between the authorities and scientific organisations is needed. The Swiss Science Council SSC also sees room for improvement in the ability of extra-parliamentary commissions to adapt to crises and in the rules for scientific task forces.
Wars, epidemics, global warming, migratory flows, shortages. “What we are observing today is not one, but several crises interacting in complex ways. Therefore, the role of science in policy must be strengthened on various levels,” explains Sabine Süsstrunk, president of the Swiss Science Council SSC. In its latest publication, the Council examines how scientific expertise and advice can most effectively support Switzerland.
An expert report commissioned by the SSC analyses three case studies, including the financial crisis, the Fukushima accident, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the diversity and unpredictability of crises, the authors conclude that no single advisory mechanism exists that is suitable for all types of crises. Instead, different instruments need to be improved or developed.
The SSC’s recommendations to the Federal Council aim to foster a more systematic use of scientific expertise in the prevention, preparedness, and management of crises. A central theme in these recommendations is that the political and scientific communities must know and understand each other better, in order to support each other in their respective roles.
The SSC’s recommendations at a glance:
Make room for science in the political agenda
Science must have the possibility to bring new and lesser-known risks onto the political agenda – on request, but also on its own initiative. To this end, the contact points at all political and administrative levels should be expanded and the scientific community should know about them.
Involve the science policy organisations
Politicians should regularly meet with the presidents of swissuniversities, the ETH Board, the academies, the Swiss National Science Foundation, Innosuisse, and the SSC to discuss threats and challenges. Higher education institutions should be encouraged to include policy advice as a part of their mission towards society. The academies should coordinate and integrate the experts in policy advice into a network.
Link science and crisis management
Scientists should have access to the knowledge and skills required for effective policy advice. This implies joint exercises as well as other forms of networking with crisis management experts in the federal administration.
Put departmental research to better use
Departmental research can play an important role in planning for crisis preparedness and should serve to quickly generate knowledge on threats and risks. In addition, it should be systematically integrated into the policy-making process. Departmental research can also help to build bridges between science and politics.
Ensure extra-parliamentary commissions are crisis-proof
One should identify the extra-parliamentary commissions tasked, among other activities, with crisis preparedness and management, as well as guarantee their appropriate professional composition. They should be able to focus on specific crises by receiving the adequate legal basis and increased support. In the event of a crisis, they should also be able to provide advice on their own initiative.
Define rules for scientific task forces
For complex situations presenting a special need for advice, a scientific task force should support the authorities. These experts should be recruited from an overarching network in cooperation with the science policy organisations and in a transparent procedure. A task force needs an appropriate thematic breadth; its composition should be adapted depending on the evolution of a crisis. The rules of cooperation and communication should be clarified in advance.
Report (PDF, 3.9 MB): Report in French and German
Flyer (PDF, 1.7 MB): French and German version
Public acceptance of crisis measures – A publication by the Swiss Science Council
The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged healthcare systems, the economy and nearly every aspect of daily life around the world. The Swiss Science Council SSC therefore investigated how to prepare Switzerland for future crises, which could be very different. To do so, it has gathered the expertise of scientists and representatives of civil society, politics, the economy and administration. In its report, the CSS is looking at the issue of crisis preparedness through the prism of acceptance.
Acceptance by the public of crisis prevention and management measures creates the preconditions for a behaviour change. In Switzerland, acceptance is sustained by direct democracy and federalism. But when a crisis lasts, acceptance decreases. Therefore, policy-makers need to find ways to preserve cohesion by reinventing participation without impairing political action.
In times of great uncertainty, many researchers are willing to provide decision support. Their contribution is essential for interpreting the available scientific data and results. Yet scientific experts must first clarify their role in politics and society, both for themselves and vis-à-vis others.
Based on this analysis, the SSC identifies areas for action and formulates recommendations for science, politics and society.
Report (PDF, 5.7 MB): Report in English
Flyer (PDF, 2 MB): German and French version
Workshop: Acceptance of crisis management measures (11/31 August 2021)
In Switzerland, the Covid-19 pandemic has been characterised as the most severe crisis since the Second World War. It has challenged the healthcare system, the economy and nearly every aspect of social life. From previous emerging diseases, such as SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009), MERS (2012), Ebola (2014) or Zika (2016), many European nations inferred that viral infections were a concern for countries far away, in part thanks to advances in intensive medicine, public health and technology. The complacency was mistaken, but so would be an overcorrection which could make Switzerland oblivious to other issues.
The Swiss Science Council SSC is the independent advising body of the Confederation for science, education, research and innovation. In its 2020 – 2023 Working Programme, the SSC undertook to investigate which science policy is needed for Switzerland to tackle unexpected challenges. To better understand the topic in all its dimensions, the SSC requested the insights from experts and stakeholders in a three-parts workshop.
Discussions focused on the following issues:
- Acceptance of crisis prevention and mitigation measures decided by the authorities;
- Governance and culture of leadership, and especially in the Swiss context, federalism;
- Communication between authorities, citizens and scientists.
Exchanges were structured in three sessions:
- Learning from Covid-19 (11 August 2021, morning)
- Learning for the long term (11 August 2021, afternoon)
- Learning from the stakeholders (31 August 2021, morning
Impressions
31 August
