Energy Policy Issues

534 adults in Idaho households representing six geographic regions were surveyed between November 3 & December 4th, 2005. Telephone calls, interviews, data collection and preparation were made by Clearwater Research

17th Annual Idaho Public Policy Survey

Annually, the Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Boise State University conducts a statewide survey of Idahoans to identify public policy opinions and concerns. The results of the survey are available to both policy makers and the public. This report conveys the full results on a range of contemporary policy issues, collected during a public opinion poll in the fall of 2005. An executive summary was provided in January 2006 to legislators, state agencies, the press, and the public prior to the commencement of the second session of the 58th Idaho Legislature. To accurately project the results of this survey across the state, the survey data is weighted according to the proportion of the total state population within each of the six geographic regions shown in Figure 1. For more information regarding the methods used in the survey, see the technical report in Appendix C. Prior to year 2002, frequency data was used without weighting and regions were assigned a ‘quota’ to ensure adequate statewide representation. While the differences generally remain well within the acceptable margin of error, population-weighted data more accurately portrays the statewide population. The difference in methodology is more apparent in the regional data where larger variation from the overall frequency data will be obvious. The survey was administered to 534 Idaho adults (+18 years old) by telephone between November 3rd, 2005 trhough December 4th, 2005. The overall statewide population is represented by the survey sample at a standard error estimated to be +/- 4% at the 95% confidence level. Since its inception in 1990, the survey has included a set of “core questions” which have been asked each year. These core questions relate to the problems facing Idaho, perceptions of and confidence in government, opinions on taxes, and satisfaction with program and service areas. Additional questions are asked that attempt to identify or clarify contemporary issues that are of interest and concern to Idaho citizens. Additionally, a stratified sample also allows for general comparisons across six geographic regions. (Statistically speaking, the survey results are representative of the population of each region.) Figure 1 on page 2 maps the regions in the state, and Table 1 identifies the standard error of the sample for each region as well as the weighted population basis used for the analysis

Predictive Non-equilibrium Social Science

Non-Equilibrium Social Science (NESS) emphasizes dynamical phenomena, for instance the way political movements emerge or competing organizations interact. This paper argues that predictive analysis is an essential element of NESS, occupying a central role in its scientific inquiry and representing a key activity of practitioners in domains such as economics, public policy, and national security. We begin by clarifying the distinction between models which are useful for prediction and the much more common explanatory models studied in the social sciences. We then investigate a challenging real-world predictive analysis case study, and find evidence that the poor performance of standard prediction methods does not indicate an absence of human predictability but instead reflects (1.) incorrect assumptions concerning the predictive utility of explanatory models, (2.) misunderstanding regarding which features of social dynamics actually possess predictive power, and (3.) practical difficulties exploiting predictive representations.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1212.680

Towards Good Social Science

The paper investigates what is meant by "good science" and "bad science" and how these differ as between the natural (physical and biological) sciences on the one hand and social sciences on the other. We conclude on the basis of historical evidence that the natural science are much more heavily constrained by evidence and observation than by theory while the social sciences are constrained by prior theory and hardly at all by direct evidence. Current examples of the latter proposition are taken from recent issues of leading social science journals. We argue that agent based social simulations can be used as a tool to constrain the development of a new social science by direct (what economists dismiss as anecdotal) evidence and that to do so would make social science relevant to the understanding and influencing of social processes. We argue that such a development is both possible and desirable. We do not argue that it is likely.Methodology, Agent Based Social Simulation, Qualitative Analysis; Evidence; Conditions of Application; History of Science

Connecting Research with Communities through Performative Social Science

A pioneer in Performative Social Science, Kip Jones makes a case for the potential of arts-based social science to reach audiences and engage communities. Jones contextualises both the use of the arts in Social Science, as well as the utility of Social Science in the Arts and Humanities. The discussion turns next to examples from his own work and what happens when Art talks to Social Science and Social Science responds to Art. The benefits of such interaction and interdisciplinarity are outlined in relation to a recently completed project using multi-methods, which resulted in the production of a professional short film. In conclusion, Performative Social Science is redefined in terms of synthesis that can break down old boundaries, open up channels of communication and empower communities through engagement

Social sciences research in neglected tropical diseases 3: Investment in social science research in neglected diseases of poverty: a case study of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.BACKGROUND: The level of funding provides a good proxy for the level of commitment or prioritisation given to a particular issue. While the need for research relevant to social, economic, cultural and behavioural aspects of neglected tropical diseases (NTD) control has been acknowledged, there is limited data on the level of funding that supports NTD social science research. METHOD: A case study was carried out in which the spending of a major independent funder, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) - was analysed. A total of 67 projects funded between October 1998 and November 2008 were identified from the BMGF database. With the help of keywords within the titles of 67 grantees, they were categorised as social science or non-social science research based on available definition of social science. A descriptive analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Of 67 projects analysed, 26 projects (39%) were social science related while 41 projects (61%) were basic science or other translational research including drug development. A total of US$697 million was spent to fund the projects, of which 35$ 241 million) went to social science research. Although the level of funding for social science research has generally been lower than that for non-social science research over 10 year period, social science research attracted more funding in 2004 and 2008. CONCLUSION: The evidence presented in this case study indicates that funding on NTD social science research compared to basic and translational research is not as low as it is perceived to be. However, as there is the acute need for improved delivery and utilisation of current NTD drugs/technologies, informed by research from social science approaches, funding priorities need to reflect the need to invest significantly more in NTD social science research