ABSTRACT
The concept of a “boundary” for science emerged when scientists increasingly felt the need to demarcate scientific from other non-scientific activities. Boundary organizations embody both a process and a structure whose primary purpose is to bridge and stabilize the gap between science and its practical application. As bridgers, boundary organizations facilitate the co-production of science and policy by sustaining collaboration between scientists and non-scientists and by brokering and tailoring scientific knowledge to different decision environments. The existence and need for this boundary became increasingly contested as societies came to perceive the potential of science to solve humanities’ super-wicked problems. The emphasis shifted from a total separation of science and decision-making towards a blurred boundary that bridged science and decision-making while providing protection from both the undue influence of politics on science and the excessive domination of science in the design and implementation of policy.
