Environmental Justice & Policy
Equipping key stakeholders and the public for informed decision-making
Overview
The goal of this theme is to support TiCER 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.
This theme also aims to inform TiCER members about the types of data that are 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 TiCER’s scientific research activities
- Explore methods to increase the quantity and quality of scientific findings by structuring regular interactions between TiCER investigators and relevant stakeholders
Theme Leader
Dr. Arnold Vedlitz is a professor and holder of the Bob Bullock Chair in Government and Public Policy at the Bush School of Government & Public Service. His research examines 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.