Scientific Information, Social Values, and Policy Formation: The Application of Simulation Models and Judgment Analysis to the Denver Regional Air Pollution Problem

Attempts to bring scientific information into social policymaking are frequently characterized by a number of problems and weaknesses that lead to ineffective use of such information. The symmetrical linkage system (SLS) is suggested as a method for improving the integration of scientific information with social values in forming social policy. The central features of the SLS are a) the separate treatment of scientific issues and social value issues through the construction of quantitative models describing each, and b) the analytical integration of scientific information and social values through the linkage of these two types of models. The development of a prototypical SLS for a metropolitan air pollution problem is described.