Technology assessment (TA) is one model for
synthesizing social science research and
theory for policymakers.
TA requires an unbiased assessment
of social research presented
in understandable and policy-relevant form.
This article describes the conduct of three
studies for
the Congressional Office
of Technology Assessment (OTA)
concerned with
psychotherapy,
treatment for alcoholism,
and the conduct of polygraph tests. The studies
indicate the potential for systematic
integrations
of social research and their function
in a
political and policy environment.
Review of these studies suggests that theory is critical in
policy research and that social research, rather than a decision-making tool, can serve an
"educative" function aiding policymakers to understand complexity.
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