As information becomes increasingly accessible, people are processing more, and more complex, information than ever before. Often this information contains, or is based on, scientific research. The validity and reliability of various kinds of scientific information varies widely, and laypeople are poorly equipped to differentiate between weak and strong scientific information when making decisions—that is, […]
The University of Nebraska Public Policy Center along with other University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers, led by Craig Allen (School of Natural Resources) received a five year National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program grant to establish an interdisciplinary graduate training program focused on understanding resilience and vulnerability in agricultural landscapes. Approximately 20 master’s and doctoral students […]
Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) can revolutionize the study of the atmosphere, but their routine application for studying and surveilling the atmosphere requires careful consideration of the public response to such proposed use in the United States (US) national airspace system. The Public Policy Center will help CLOUD-MAP project researchers understand likely public reactions to large-scale […]
In this NSF funded project (DUE-1245679), PPC researchers designed a study consisting of a series of tests to apply to videos developed by UNL’s Department of Physics and Astronomy that teach basic concepts in astronomy and physics. These videos are intended for use in introductory undergraduate courses. Approximately 150 students participated in this study, which […]
This NSF funded workshop (SES-1353980) focused on advancing trust scholarship by bringing together senior and junior scholars from a variety of social science disciplines who share interest in moving toward developing truly interdisciplinary, cohesive and comprehensive theories of institutional trust. In April of 2014, scholars from around the world convened at UNL. The workshop was […]
Although various theories of trust and confidence have been proposed, no comprehensive framework yet exists. Trust and confidence research has been undermined by failures to develop models that incorporate the various trust- and confidence-related factors, a lack of clarity regarding what is even meant by trust- and confidence-related terms, and so on. This postdoctoral fellow […]
Public engagements involving residents, scientists, and policymakers are increasingly being used to shape policy in the US. Despite the attention paid to such engagements, there is a lack of knowledge and theory concerning which forms, features, and contexts of public engagements are meaningful to participants and produce insightful information that is useful to scientists and […]
This five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation funded a multidisciplinary graduate program focused on resilience and adaptive governance in stressed watersheds. This collaborative program integrated scientific, social, economic and legal aspects of managing complex water issues. The Public Policy Center worked on applicable policy and social science issues. The program educated […]
Evidence suggests that “unauthorized online behavior” motivated by social, political, economic and cultural conflicts is increasing. Yet research on stemming cyber-attacks has tended to focus on mechanisms and processes of defense, ignoring what determines and prevents the conditions that foster cyber-attacks in the first place. Advancing knowledge about distrust in general and in this specific […]
There is a critical need to accurately and efficiently assess and manage water quantity. This is a challenge because water management is conducted under conditions of uncertainty about current and future water resources. Adaptive water management has become the policy heuristic for flexible water management that responds to ever changing physical and social demands. The […]
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