NOAA SOCIAL SCIENCE REVIEW PANEL

REPORT TO THE NOAA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD

18 MARCH 2003

SOCIAL SCIENCE REVIEW PANEL

Lee Anderson U. DelawareRichard Bishop U. WisconsinMargaret Davidson NOAA NOSSusan Hanna Oregon State U.Mark Holliday NOAA NMFSJudith Kildow U. Southern CaliforniaDiana Liverman U. ArizonaBonnie McCay Rutgers U.Edward Miles U. WashingtonRoger Pielke, Jr. U. ColoradoRoger Pulwarty NOAA OAR OGP CDC

CHARGE TO THE REVIEW PANEL

Review types and level of social science researchRecommend short-term research agendaRecommend long-term research agendaDevelop budget estimates

INFORMATION SOURCES

Presentations from Line Offices and Chief EconomistData provided by Line OfficesInterviews with AAs and Chief EconomistReports of NOAA and other agencies

REPORT STRUCTURE

Social science definedStatus of social science within NOAAExample research questionsBudget recommendationsAppendices

line office summariesAA interviewsforms

SOCIAL SCIENCE DEFINED

Social science is the process of describing, explaining and predicting human behavior and institutional structure in interaction with their environments.

GENERAL FINDINGS

NOAAs capacity to meet its mandates and mission is diminished by the under-representation and under-utilization of social science.

Assistant Administrators are responsive to discussing opportunities for an enhanced role for social science within their line offices.

SPECIFIC FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

SOCIAL SCIENCE LITERACY

Finding: Throughout NOAA there is a lack of formal understanding of social science and its potential contributions.Identified need to understand:

risk perceptionbehavioral responseeffective communicationnon-market valuationinterpretation of geographic information

SOCIAL SCIENCE LITERACY

Recommendations: Conduct a workshop to familiarize AAs and senior management with social science and to address its potential contribution to NOAA missions. NOAA AAs and senior management establish goals and objectives for achieving social science literacy within NOAA.

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

Finding: Two general categories of social science research are critical to the accomplishment of NOAAs mission: programmatic and organizational.

PROGRAMMATIC RESEARCH EXAMPLES

1. RESEARCH TO FACILITATE ROUTINE ACTIVITIESWho uses the products of a line office?How do people respond to information?What is the best way to package and transmit information?

PROGRAMMATIC RESEARCH EXAMPLES

2. RESEARCH TO SUPPORT REGULATIONWhat determines behavior of marine resource users?How do people value marine and coastal resources?What changes in behavior or institutions are required to improve the status of marine and coastal resources?

PROGRAMMATIC RESEARCH EXAMPLES

3. BASELINE RESEARCH What perceptions and beliefs influence response to weather warnings?What cultural ties and traditions do communities associate with coastal resources?How do people perceive the effects of climate change?

ORGANIZATIONAL RESEARCH EXAMPLES

How does line office organization affect program outcomes?What factors determine program effectiveness?What are the potential benefits and costs of cross-line collaborations?

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

Findings: Social science research is small and unbalanced across disciplines.Few targeted programs for social science researchSocial science can enhance the process of prioritizing research and help connect the results of that research with its stakeholders.

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH NEEDS

NESDIS: cost-benefit analyses; policy analysis; market assessment of predictive capabilitiesNMFS: regulatory analyses; human behavior; community structure; institutional structure; economics of fisheries; culture of fisheriesNOS: perceptions, attitudes, behavior; cultural differences; surveysNWS: improved communication of information; assessment of user needsOAR: cost-benefit analysis of programs; use of climate information; perception of climate change

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

Recommendations: Each line office and Headquarters should develop a social science research plan and a strategy to implement it.Line offices should establish specific targets for social science research through reprogramming and new initiatives.Sea Grant should accept a larger role in supporting social science research.

SOCIAL SCIENCE DATA

Finding: The lack of appropriate data limits the

contribution of social science to NOAA.Insufficient time series dataInsufficient cataloging and archiving

Restrictions on collecting economic data

SOCIAL SCIENCE DATA

Recommendations: NOAA should inventory, document and archive its economic and other social science data. NOAA Administrators should seek congressional support to rescind the prohibition on collecting economic data under the MSFCMA.

SOCIAL SCIENCE STAFFING

Finding: NOAAs social science staffing is insufficient to

meet the mission of each of the line offices.Small numbers and fragmentation prevent critical mass Too small to influence the long-term research agendaLack of established career path for social scientists

SOCIAL SCIENCE STAFFING

Recommendations:

Headquarters and Each Line Office should: Evaluate the adequacy of social science staffing relative to its mission, as NMFS has done.Jointly develop a plan to develop core social science capacity.Investigate opportunities for improving planning, communication and networking among social scientists within and across line offices.

SENIOR REPRESENTATION

Finding: There is no functional representation of social science in the Directorates of HQ or the line offices in the form of a dedicated social science position.

Recommendation: NOAA should create a chief social scientist position in each line office with the explicit responsibility for developing, advocating and overseeing social science research that meets the needs of the line office.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Findings: AAs recognize the need to better define and understand their constituents and communicate with them.NOAAs ability to understand and communicate with constituents is limited by a lack of expertise in social science survey methodology and perceived obstacles to conducting surveys.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Recommendations NOAA line offices should carefully evaluate their public outreach and education needs and identify existing programs (e.g. Sea Grant Extension) with potential for collaboration.NOAA should organize a center of excellence in survey research to conduct constituent surveys.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Findings: With the exception of NMFS, social science objectives represented in line office strategic plans do not track into a long-term research agenda influenced by the social sciences.Although line office strategic plans contain economic and social elements, with the exception of OGP and NMFS there is almost no long-term strategic planning for social science at NOAA.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Recommendations: Each line office should develop a social science research plan and ensure that it is integrated into the NOAA strategic plan.In each line office, the new chief social scientist and the directorate should be responsible for incorporating explicit social science objectives and performance measures into their strategic plans and annual operating plans.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Finding: The application of social science is a necessary component of outcome-based program effectiveness measurement and monitoring in the FY2003-FY2008 Strategic Plan. Strategic Plan Goals:

increase value of marine resourcesincrease use and effectiveness of climate infoincrease benefits of warning servicesincrease use of environmental informationreduce negative impacts of port development

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Recommendation: Use social scientists to lead the development of performance metrics in evaluating outcome effectiveness.

BUDGETS

Findings: NOAA could over the next 5 years justify an increase of $100M over the current $3.3B budget to improve the competency and contribution of social science to achieving mission objectives.To initiate this multiyear social science program expansion, NOAAs FY05 budget would need to include ≈ $21M investment in new social science data, staff and research.

BUDGETS

Budget Recommendation: Social Science Capacity

For line offices that do not have a social science research plan: obtain core competency of senior social scientists to develop a social science plan. For line offices that have already have a social science research plan: direct majority of 1st year funds to implementation of social science research plans (NMFS and OGP HD). Use some funds to seed program development in other line offices.

BUDGETS

Budget Recommendation: Center for Economic Valuation

Invest $2M in a virtual NOAA Center for Economic Valuation to coordinate research, data collection, surveys and models.Organize through a partnership of NMFS, NOS, OAR and NWS.

BUDGETS

Budget Recommendation: Center for Economic Valuation

Use the Center to evaluate the benefits and costs of alternative policy choices and examine the risks and impacts of these alternatives. Manage the Center as a matrix program in conformity with recent trends in NOAA organizational structure.

BUDGETS

Budget Recommendation: Performance Measurement

Recognizing the new NOAA Strategic Plan’s focus on accountability and performance management:Invest $2M in strengthening NOAAs ability to measure economic and social benefits and costs associated with program implementation and performance.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Panel thanks the AAs, line office staffs and the NOAA Chief Economist for their helpful provision of information.

The Panel thanks Sean Conley for excellent staffing.

NOAA SOCIAL SCIENCE REVIEW PANEL

REPORT TO THE NOAA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD

18 MARCH 2003