The Fifth Branch: Science Advisors as Policymakers

Abstract

We learned in our civics classes that the federal government has three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. In practice, observers of the governmental process have long recognized the importance of a fourth branch—the regulatory agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which have much to do with interpreting laws, writing regulations, and enforcing them. The proliferation of science and technology and the resulting products and services have led these agencies to seek expert, scientific advice concerning health, safety, and environmental policy. Sheila Jasanoff views the scientific advisory process as so pervasive and influential that she has labeled it "the fifth branch." These scientific advisers play central roles in determining whether we should "eat supermarket apples, use hair spray, drive cars in inner cities, incinerate our wastes, generate nuclear energy, [or] release genetically engineered organisms into the environment" (p v). Despite this influence,