政府使用科学应对风险的管理机制变迁——英国疯牛病事件与口蹄疫事件比较

Changing mechanism of government using science:From departmental management to expert governance——A comparison of BSE and FMD

如何正确使用科学来应对风险,是现代政府决策面临的一个重要课题。1996年影响深远的英国疯牛病事件,使这一问题尤为突出,导致该事件的主要原因是科学被错误利用和错误传递。2000年,英国爆发了传播速度更快、波及范围更广的口蹄疫。与疯牛病危机不同的是,运用科学处理口蹄疫却取得了成功。本文分析了疯牛病应对失败的原因在于层层汇报而导致的行动拖延、传统行政方式中掩盖风险的倾向、科学建议没有得到及时的整合和正确的理解,口蹄疫应对成功的原因在于高层科学顾问本身的代表性和权威性、政府部门给予高层科学顾问的授权、决策过程的公开和部门之间的协调。这两个事件反映了政府使用科学应对风险的管理机制的变迁,即从部门管理转变为专家治理。

How to use science to deal with risk correctly is an important issue for modern government decision making. 1996 British BSE saga provoked much reflection on this issue and the main reason for the BSE crisis was science being misuse and spread incorrectly. In 2000,the outbreak of FMD had an even broader impact. Unlike the BSE crisis,the use of science led to the successful handling of FMD. This paper analyses that the failures of BSE crisis lie in the tardiness of governmental response,the incline of covering up possible risk in administrative tradition,lack of timeliness and understanding of science advice. The recipe for the success of FMD handling are the influence of science advisor at highest level,the authorization of power to this top science advisor,openness of decision making,coordination of departments. It is concluded that the different strategies of handling BSE and FMD actually represent the shift from departmental management to expert governance when it comes to the use of science for government to respond to risk.