Introduction to Psychological Science, Public Policy and Law
摘要
The chapter introduces the key intersecting disciplines of psychology, public policy and law to emphasize a need for such a study. There is increasing attention on problem solving in the contemporary times, which requires a lateral and interdisciplinary mapping. The chapter gives a brief introduction of each discipline and closely maps the contemporary challenges in the global context. The imperatives of interdisciplinarity are discussed in the context of the emerging challenges mapped closely with the five selected laws in the Indian context. Policy education is defined and a template pathway suggested for the three domains of psychology, specific laws and public policy towards a decolonised understanding of public policy education in India. Second section, discusses the issues around data and evidence. Data and Evidence is central to theory and application in psychological science; it is central to understanding the implementation of law or the lack thereof and fundamental in policy studies. The third section introduces three pivotal lines of research, where psychological sciences, public policy and the law seem to intersect in light of the available literature. The chapter examines the need for a decolonised psychological science as well as public policy. What do we mean by decolonised psychological science and public policy? We explicitly state the meaning of ‘decolonisation’ in the context of the present book, as an epistemological stance. The chapter concludes with the applications of studying public policy, psychological science and law in health, gender, workspaces and leadership as well as work. Last, the chapter closes with the possible career options for students studying public policy and psychology.