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Abstract
Various theoretical models of public policy analysis are used to treat situations of
decision-making in which public deciders have to take into account the
multifunctionality of agriculture. For some, science-society relations are not really
problematical. Others acknowledge the current attempts of these policy-makers to find
adequate scientific knowledge, and the difficulties they encounter. These difficulties
stem partly from the very content of knowledge produced by research. Could other
modes of production be more efficient? The status of the knowledge produced by these
approaches is a subject of debate. Bridging the divide between science and policy more
effectively is not only a question of knowledge brokerage. Accessibility and reliability
of the existing evidences are also problems to be addressed. The debates around
evidence-based practices may provide some landmarks in this new situation although
they also emphasize the limits of the tools that can be built for this purpose.