Review of Roger S . Pielke , Jr . , The Honest

Imagine you are a climate scientist, and you get a call from a politician asking whether she should support a proposal to impose mandatory caps on carbon-dioxide emissions. Lucky you! Should you urge support of the proposal? Or should you restrict yourself to explaining recent developments in climate science? Should you offer to answer any specific questions the politician might have about climate science? Or should you try to broaden her thinking a bit and explain the merits not only of the proposed regulation but also several alternative options? A difficult choice, to be sure. Worse yet, as Roger S. Pielke, Jr., argues in his cogent book The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics, many scientists are not aware they have a choice. Like the politicians they advise, many scientists assume a ‘‘linear model’’ of science and politics, according to which science advice precedes and compels political decisions. First let scientists get the facts straight, the linear models says, then require politicians to implement them. The important contribution of this engaging book is to show scientists and policymakers how and why to go beyond the linear model of science advice. Pielke’s brief treatment of ‘‘big picture’’ questions of democracy has important shortcomings, and he does not engage the growing literature on public engagement. But for anyone interested in a policy-oriented perspective on science advice, The Honest Broker offers an accessible and stimulating guide to improving the role of science advisors in politics and policymaking. Pielke summarizes his theory of science advice in two different diagrams: a twoby-two matrix that pairs two views of science with two views of democracy (p. 14), and a flowchart designed to help scientists choose how to respond to politicians’