About

J.R. Bruning is a sociologist (B.Bus.Agribusiness; MA Sociology) based in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Bruning’s primary research focus is on the relationship between governance, policy, and the production of scientific and technical knowledge for public good. Bruning is a trustee and lead researcher for the Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility, a New Zealand based charity, first established in 2001 (search on social media under the handle @PSGRNZ).

Bruning examines scientific claims made by government actors and institutions, from risk assessments, scientific papers and reports through to their institutionalisation in regulatory impact statements, Cabinet papers and policy. She considers the extent to which claims that refer to safety of a technology are routinely backed by transparent and accountable scientific reviews that conform to scientific norms. Issues include data transparency and disclosure of methodology to limit bias and the presence of author/s, and compares them with the scientific literature, including recent major reviews in the relevant field.

Bruning’s most recent major paper is the report, Reclaiming Health: Reversal, Remission and Rewiring. Bruning’s writing can be found on JRBruning.Substack.com and the Daily Telegraph New Zealand. Writing has also been published by The Spectator (Australia), and Brownstone Institute.

Bruning’s work traverses’ sociological studies of ignorance and non-knowledge and the production of science and technology. This work is underpinned by a vast literature on regulatory capture; the struggle of the science enterprise to be resourced to explore environmental and human health risk and achieve equivalent funding and status to patent-related technological discovery.

A recently completed master’s thesis (2021) explored the relationship between state research, science and innovation policy, the decision-making processes of funding committees and the experiences of scientists in securing funding for non-medical health-related scientific research. Her thesis drew attention to the role of innovation cultures that result in funding committees that are unable to prioritise public good research relating to the drivers of disease, preferring projects which result in biomedical discovery.

Prior research has explored the regulatory science interface, and the political, legal and social structures and techniques which prevent robust and independent regulation of technologies and pollutants in the public interest. These structures and techniques result in instrumental, or technocratic approaches to stewardship that are unable to anticipate chronic and long-term harm.

Podcast and radio interviews include: The Leighton Smith Podcast and Reality Check Radio New Zealand. Key interviews include:

Reality Check Radio:

Leighton Smith

Others

PSGRNZ interviews are published on YouTube, while older material can be found on the Talking Risk channel on Rumble. Social media sites include Talking Risk on Telegram, Twitter and Facebook.

Innovation and Ignorance: How Innovation Funding Cultures Disincentivise Endocrine Disruption Research. Thesis. University of Auckland. Master of Arts, Sociology (research). 2021. https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/57929