ABSTRACT
This book is a study of drought science and policy and the interface of that science and policy in two developed countries, Australia and the United States. These countries have been chosen because of some general similarities and some key differences in approaches to both the science and policy of drought. Both have well-developed scientific research on climate and droughts. Both have highly variable climatic conditions across large areas that include relatively dry regions, though these are more extensive in Australia. Both have high-technology, extensive and intensive agricultural production with a reliance on irrigation water, and the farm sectors are considered to be both economically and socially important. In terms of policy development, both are federal, democratic systems, each with two dominant political blocs that, to varying degrees, accept the general notion of a mixed economy. Setting aside these factors allows the authors in this volume to focus on the possible reasons for differences in drought science and policy, which will yield insights and lessons in regard to the relationship between scientific advice and the policy process.
