Abstract
Strategic issues, including political (mis)use of knowledge, selective production of
knowledge and a misfit of demand for and supply of knowledge are often mentioned as
problems in the interactions between science and policy. Scientific literature suggests
science-policy interfaces as ‘solutions’. Boundary organisations are known to be
organisations which provide such solutions by acting as a bridge between science and policy.
In order to enhance the process of political decision-making, these organisations are supposed
to enable a more effective use and production of knowledge in the often contested boundary
area between the two domains, increasing its legitimacy and credibility.
But how do these organisations work? In which situations is their added value needed? And
how do they position themselves between the dynamic demand for and supply of knowledge?
It appears that after presenting boundary organisations as the solution, literature comes to an
end point due to the lack of empirical analysis and the often high level of abstraction
literature uses to explain this type of interface.
This paper will present a framework of the concept ‘boundary organisation’ where the focus
will lie on the (participating) actors, the (presupposed) goals and their strategies. With the use
of empirical research on three case studies of boundary organisations, the aim of the paper is
to provide a better understating of the strategies by which the organisations aim to promote
the selection, production and use of credible, legitimate and/or salient knowledge. The focus
area of these organisations will be the Wadden Sea – a shallow estuarine sea where
ecological interests compete with economic and social interests (such as gas mining, shipping
and tourism), resulting in various problems with the interaction between science and policy.
knowledge and a misfit of demand for and supply of knowledge are often mentioned as
problems in the interactions between science and policy. Scientific literature suggests
science-policy interfaces as ‘solutions’. Boundary organisations are known to be
organisations which provide such solutions by acting as a bridge between science and policy.
In order to enhance the process of political decision-making, these organisations are supposed
to enable a more effective use and production of knowledge in the often contested boundary
area between the two domains, increasing its legitimacy and credibility.
But how do these organisations work? In which situations is their added value needed? And
how do they position themselves between the dynamic demand for and supply of knowledge?
It appears that after presenting boundary organisations as the solution, literature comes to an
end point due to the lack of empirical analysis and the often high level of abstraction
literature uses to explain this type of interface.
This paper will present a framework of the concept ‘boundary organisation’ where the focus
will lie on the (participating) actors, the (presupposed) goals and their strategies. With the use
of empirical research on three case studies of boundary organisations, the aim of the paper is
to provide a better understating of the strategies by which the organisations aim to promote
the selection, production and use of credible, legitimate and/or salient knowledge. The focus
area of these organisations will be the Wadden Sea – a shallow estuarine sea where
ecological interests compete with economic and social interests (such as gas mining, shipping
and tourism), resulting in various problems with the interaction between science and policy.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | 8th International Workshop on Planning and Evaluation |
Place of Publication | Groningen, the Netherlands |
Pages | 1-13 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Publication status | Published - 13 Mar 2013 |