NOAA-ECSC Integrated Social Science
In addition to the natural science conducted to support decisions, social science disciplines make critical contributions to the ECSC. Social and economic analyses provide an opportunity to move toward a model of public policy that encourages participation and acknowledges the contributions of stakeholders and local communities. For example, decision theory and economics provide a means of measuring the contribution of valued ecological components to humans (a monetary metric) and offers a framework to categorize the types of environmental impact from human induced drivers (a social indicator). Sociology and history provide a means to identify and understand critical cultural values, experiences, attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge that mediate current and changing human relationships to the environment and influence decision-making processes about the management of coastal resources.
NOAA stated in its recent Strategic Plan that strong economic and social science capability is an important priority and that long-term visionary research is important to recognize issues and manage the integration of environmental, ecological, and societal needs. ECSC makes a significant contribution toward NOAA’s strategic direction and the cross-cutting priorities the Agency has established to ensure a complete understanding of the complexities of ecosystem management. In ISS, ECSC’s distinctive capability includes a multidisciplinary faculty that represent:
- natural resource/agricultural economics
- community planning
- sociology (demography, environmental sociology)
- history
- management
The research expertise uses various methodologies, including qualitative (e.g., ethnographic research, participatory action research, and oral and visual history) and quantitative (e.g., cost/benefit analysis, environmental valuation) techniques to assess social values and attitudes, policies for efficiency, and equity and/or sustainability. The personnel also perform analysis of decision making under risk and uncertainty and environmental decision-support models.
The result of this multidimensional socioeconomic approach is an integrated assessment that will train students on how to better manage societal impacts in response to environmental science changes and lead to the continuous improvement NOAA strives for in developing a holistic approach to environmental management.
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