Global Science’s Cooperation Opportunities, Challenges, and Good Practices

Book excerpt: Science diplomacy gives possibilities for international diplomacy and science policy to collaborate to more directly address social and global challenges, such as successful diplomatic engagement, international scientific coordination, and policy coherence in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, most academic scientists lack policy process training, networking opportunities with science policymakers, and the capacity to use their expertise in the field to advance policy or diplomacy. These barriers limit scientists' research impact, inhibit science-policy relations, reduce science recommendations, and restrict university engagement in national and international contexts. The origins of science diplomacy have yet to be closely examined, and its current format does not give a clear understanding of how it concretely translates into science policy actions. Global Science’s Cooperation Opportunities, Challenges, and Good Practices provides a comprehensive overview of science diplomacy and its evolution in history and analyzes the ways in which politics, science, and diplomacy intertwine. The book also provides a critical review of science diplomacy by exposing its limitations in addressing global challenges and by reflecting on the specific questions relating to the adaptation of the science diplomacy concept to the context of the Global South. Covering key topics such as climate change, foreign policy, and energy consumption, this premier reference source is ideal for policymakers, government officials, politicians, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.