Environmental Justice and Policy
Equipping Key Stakeholders and the Public for Informed Decision-Making
About
The mission of this theme will be to support Center research activities that are responsive to community environmental health concerns, especially for minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities that are particularly vulnerable to environmental health threats and face significant barriers to effecting change, and to inform Center members about the types of data that will be of greatest value to various stakeholders and members of the public for decision-making and policy creation.
Research Foci:
- Connect communities, stakeholders, and the public with the scientific research activities of the Center
- Explore methods to increase the quantity and quality of scientific findings by structuring regular interactions between Center scientists and relevant stakeholders
Research Theme Leader
Dr. Arnold Vedlitz is a professor and holder of the Bob Bullock Chair in Government and Public Policy in the Bush School of Public Service. His research seeks to understand the processes through which scientific and technical data and discoveries are understood and acted on by decision makers and the public. He examines the role of information, risk assessments and social, political, economic and cultural cues in the framing of science discoveries and innovations, the benefits and/or risks they pose, and the way in which this information is framed, received and evaluated by policy makers and the public to form regulatory regimes and allocate financial resources. Dr. Vedlitz has extensive experience working with interdisciplinary project teams researching the linkages between biological, physical, and environmental health factors with social, behavioral, and policy dynamics.