Evaluating Organizational Models of the Science-Policy Interface in the U.S. EPA’s National Estuary Program: A fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

This dataset supports the study "Evaluating Organizational Models of the Science-Policy Interface in the U.S. EPA’s National Estuary Program," which uses fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to examine the effectiveness of different organizational arrangements in integrating scientific knowledge into environmental policymaking. The study evaluates four models—the Linear Model, Epistemic Community Model, Boundary Organization Model, and Stakeholder Collaborative Model—across 25 estuary programs within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program (NEP). The dataset includes configuration data for each estuary site, capturing conditions related to organizational structures, the presence of scientists on policy committees, stakeholder engagement levels, and boundary organizations. Environmental outcomes were assessed based on indices from the National Coastal Condition Report, with estuary conditions classified as "good" or "poor" based on metrics of water quality, sediment quality, benthic health, and fish tissue contaminants. The fsQCA method enables analysis of multiple causal pathways, allowing the study to identify specific combinations of organizational factors associated with favorable environmental outcomes.