Social Sciences Forum — Adam Seth Levine: Policymakers’ Unmet Desire for Science

Social Sciences Forum lecture with Adam Seth Levine
Policymakers’ Unmet Desire for Science
This lecture is part of the Fall 2026 Social Sciences Forum

We often think of policymakers in the U.S. as either pro-science or anti-science. In his talk, Adam Seth Levine will argue for a third possibility as well: many of them have an unmet desire for science. He will discuss why it’s important to measure this unmet desire and then, using a series of nationally-representative studies and randomized-controlled trials, how to surface and meet it (as well as assess the impact of doing so). The data come from federal, state, and local policymakers, and a wide variety of research areas relevant to policy challenges they face (e.g., the environment, mental health, bioethics, neuroscience, child and family policy, etc.). The goal is to provide insights that are both interesting and actionable, including evidence-based strategies that attendees can implement (if they wish) to deepen their own connections between research and policy.

Adam Seth Levine, Ph.D., is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute Professor of Health Policy and Management in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, and President of research4impact.

Admission is free.

This event is organized by the Center for Social Science Scholarship, and is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the Division of Research & Creative Achievement, the Dresher Center for the Humanities, the Erickson School of Aging Studies, the Global Studies Program, iHARP, the Public Health Research Center, and the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program.