Research

Science in policymaking

This research agenda is rooted in the premise that science – how it is conducted and how it is used – is not immune from politics. Instead, science and policy are in dynamic interaction, shaping one another and having a considerable impact on how we understand and react to sustainability challenges. Thus, I focus on how science is used in environmental policy using computational tools. Specifically, I work with a team designing programs and workflows for extracting and analyzing citations across a range of policy documents, allowing for large-scale bibliometric analyses.

Relevant publications and projects:

  • Wood, L., Struthers, C., Scott, T.A., Kim, S. Science politics: How political context shapes public agencies’ use of science in environmental policymaking. Working paper for the Environmental Politics and Governance, 2023.
  • Wood, L & Scott, T.A. (2023) govscienceuseR: Tools for quantifying science in policy. Conference paper for Conference of Policy Process Research. Denver, CO.
  • Wood, L., Scott, T. (2022) Transportation agencies as consumers and producers of science: The case of state, regional, and county transportation agencies in California. Revise & resubmit in Transport Policy 128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.08.016.

Innovation systems and networks

This research agenda explores the conditions under which ‘niche’ innovations develop, as these niches are an important source of the technological and organizational changes necessary for environmental sustainability. Theories in this field have been built around qualitative case studies, but rarely have these propositions been quantitatively tested. My research fills this gap by analyzing niche innovation systems using social network methods, focusing on an innovation that is deeply intertwined with regional agro-ecological diversity: agricultural seeds. Specifically, I work with the case of the organic seed niche – a network of informational, economic, and ecological relationships – built using original survey data of organic seed stakeholders in the US. In this research I have worked along with the Organic Seed Alliance to release the 2022 State of Organic Seed Report and submit public comments regarding seed industry consolidation. This project is funded by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

Relevant publications and reports:

Agri-environmental regulation

In this research area, I investigate whether the policy tools designed for better environmental outcomes have their intended effect. Policies such as voluntary incentives and certification, mandatory reporting, and sponsored research support are just some of the approaches utilized by the US government. These tools often have complex designs, such as blending stringent requirements with regulator discretion, and there is still much to be understood about how and why firms comply in different policy landscapes. I use farmer surveys in different agri-environmental contexts to understand compliance from the lenses of regulation and farmer behavior literature.

Relevant publications and projects:

Innovation for the public good

Improving environmental outcomes will depend, in part, on technological innovation. But innovation is not value-free; it reflects the diverse motivations and imaginations of innovators. Sector can influence these motivations and public, ‘mission-oriented’ innovation policy has recently gained traction as a promise for sustainability transitions. However, there is still much to understand about how public institutions are involved in mission-based innovation. This research agenda shifts the focus from traditional innovation studies’ attention from how much to what kinds of innovation are publicly supported.

Relevant publications and projects:

  • Wood, L. How public and private innovations shape environmental sustainability: Evidence from a century of plant patents. Working paper at the Environmental Politics and Governance, 2024 & RP 8th 8th Online Conference for ECRs, 2024.