Energy research and the contributions of the social sciences A retrospective examination.pdf.pdf

Energy Research & Social Science 3 (2014) 178–185

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Energy Research & Social Science

journal homepage: ate/erss

Original research article



Energy research and the contributions of the social sciences: A
retrospective examination
∗

Gene I. Rochlin

Institute of Governmental Studies Energy and Resources Group University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, United States

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t


Article history: Physical and environmental scientists and policy-makers tend to have exaggerated expectations of what


Received 8 April 2014

social science and social scientists ask for, what they can do, what policy relevance means in both the

Received in revised form 21 April 2014

short and the long term, and what “short” and “long” mean in social science. There is also a tendency to

Accepted 21 April 2014

misapprehend the crucial distinction between ad-hoc actors in the social realm, such as policy-makers

Available online 24 May 2014

and their advisors, journalists, experienced politicians, and policy critics, and professional and disciplinary

social science. The former are licensed to make quick judgments on at best imperfect evidence. The latter
Keywords:

cannot reasonably be expected e up with anything ‘quickly’ on a new or unfamiliar pr