Sozialwissenschaftliche Politikberatung.

The paper will address the factors that are relevant for a successful incorporation of social science insights into policy making. The findings are based on studies analyzing the rules of policy making in general and of policy consulting with particular reference to the prospects of scientific consulting. Furthermore the paper will reflect on personal experiences in several scientific councils and commissions in which I am involved. Then paper will highlight three major elements. 1. It is often difficult to make a distinction between evidence-based insights and personal judgments. This is particularly true for sociological knowledge. Although educated guesses are important elements in policy consultation social scientists are well advised to characterize their statements according the degree of validity that they can assign to each insight. 2. Social science expertise is rarely unambiguous and crystal clear. There are always different interpretations possible when referring to social phenomena or empirical results. It is therefore essential that the mandate of the commissions allow for plural interpretations and multiple perspectives. At the same time, however, the social science advice must draw a clear line between the absurd and the possible. Otherwise it becomes totally arbitrary. 3. The legitimization of the results depends on two major factors: transparency and translation into the frame that the addressees associate with the subject in question. The personal contact between scientists and policy makers, distinction between ideological or idosyncratic and evidence-based insights, acknowledgements of uncertainty and ambiguity in the interpretation of the results and characterization of the validity of knowledge that has been used for the advice are the key elements for successful social science input into policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]