Communicated by Susan Hanson, Clark University, Worcester, MA, March 7, 2003 (received for review February 25, 2003)
The challenge of meeting human development needs while protecting the earth's life support systems confronts scientists, technologists, policy makers, and communities from local to global levels. Many believe that science and technology (S&T) must play a more central role in sustainable development, yet little systematic scholarship exists on how to create institutions that effectively harness S&T for sustainability. This study suggests that efforts to mobilize S&T for sustainability are more likely to be effective when they manage boundaries between knowledge and action in ways that simultaneously enhance the salience, credibility, and legitimacy of the information they produce. Effective systems apply a variety of institutional mechanisms that facilitate communication, translation and mediation across boundaries.
↵† To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: david_cash{at}harvard.edu.
Abbreviations: S&T, science and technology; R&D, research and development; CGIAR, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research; ENSO, El Niño/Southern Oscillation; CIMMYT, Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo; PEAC, Pacific ENSO Applications Center.
