THE USE OF INFORMATION BY POLICY-MAKERS AT THE LOCAL-COMMUNITY LEVEL

The goal of this study was to examine how policy makers at the local community level use social science information in making decisions. The assumption which guided the study is that the use of social science information is related to how it interacts with other information and with the ideology and interests of the policymaker in the decision-making process. Findings from the study revealed that policymakers drew on a variety of information sources. The use of social science information was dependent on the ideology and interests of the decision makers and on the specific circumutances which shaped the decision-making process.