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Fast-growing economies can learn from the West's mistakes and couple social and 'hard' sciences to address their own societal needs, says Colin Macilwain.
Public policy is too often derailed by assessments based on faulty data, says Martin Rees, as he calls for the formation of an international data watchdog.
Governments should embrace the scientific approach and use controlled trials to test the impact of policies on people’s behaviour, says Olivier Oullier.
The effects of federal budget cuts provide an opportunity to revisit the funding structure of the National Institutes of Health, says Frederick Grinnell.