The Relationship of Social Science to Policy: The Case of the President's Crime Commission

Abstract

The structure and methods of operation of President Johnson's Crime Commission are described. From the unpublished transcripts of the Commission meetings, the process by which the Commission utilized relevant data, theory, and perspectives in the formulation of its policy recommendations is analyzed. It is concluded that social scientific information and perspectives, although important, were not the significant basis for formulating the recommendations of the Crime Commission. The scientific purposes, methods, and audiences of social science are not readily transferred to the political purposes, methods, and audiences of social policy formulation. Extrascientific political considerations become the significant immediate consideration in policy formulation and implementation.