Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 1990

Uncertainty and Quality in Science for Policy

Part of the book series: Theory and Decision Library A: (TDLA, volume 15)

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Prologue

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 1-2
  3. Introduction: Some Illustrative Examples

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 3-6
  4. Science for Policy: Uncertainty and Quality

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 7-16
  5. Uncertainty and Its Management

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 17-34
  6. The Mathematical Language

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 35-48
  7. Craft Skills with Numbers

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 49-68
  8. Measurements

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 69-82
  9. Maps

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 83-98
  10. Mathematical Notations: Functions and Design

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 99-114
  11. The NUSAP Scheme: Introduction

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 115-122
  12. The NUSAP Categories: Numeral, Unit and Spread

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 123-131
  13. The NUSAP Categories: Assessment and Pedigree

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 132-155
  14. The NUSAP Pedigree for Statistical Information

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 156-171
  15. Mapping Uncertainties of Radiological Hazards

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 172-191
  16. Further Applications of the NUSAP System

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 192-208
  17. Epilogue

    • Silvio O. Funtowicz, Jerome R. Ravetz
    Pages 209-210
  18. Back Matter

    Pages 211-231

About this book

60 -I 137.0~29 ERROR BARS • tONE (1" \ \ \ 4\0 \ \ E \ a. a. \ Z30 \ 137.0388 \ 0 137.0377 \ ~ \ ~20 \ \ 0 to 0 '50 Fig.1. Successive recommended values of the fine-structure constand IX-I (B. N. Taylor et 01., 1969,7) reminder that the value is not fully accepted by colleagues, since they will expect it to jump about for a while longer. Our next example is taken from a recent study in the social sciences. It shows how a set of related estimates of uncertainty can be expressed clearly and effectively by NUSAP. Suppose that we wish to forecast what the future price of a basic commodity might be, especially when at the moment its price is artificially maintained by a cartel of producers. There is no experimental evidence on such a future contingency, and yet we are not completely in the dark. There is a long history of expertise in the field; and there is a well-tried standard model by which experts' guesses can be translated into mathematical form.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Commission of the European Communities, Joint Research Center, Ispra, Italy

    Silvio O. Funtowicz

  • The Research Methods, Consultancy Ltd., London, UK

    Jerome R. Ravetz

About the authors

S.O. Funtowicz is a Visiting Scientist at the European Community Joint Research Centre at Ispra (Varese), Italy. He has taught mathematics, logic and research methodology in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

J.R. Ravetz is the Chairman of the Council for Science and Society in London. He was formerly Reader in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Leeds. His previous writings include Scientific Knowledge and its Social Problems (Oxford, 1971) and The Merger of Knowledge with Power (Cassel, 1990).

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access