Science and Technology Studies: Experts and Expertise

Abstract

In a policy arena, scientific experts are expected to use their skills and knowledge as a means to produce arguments and insights for identifying, selecting, justifying, and evaluating different courses of collective action. Many policy-makers expect scientific experts to help construct strategies that promise to prevent or mitigate negative and promote positive impacts of collective actions. In addition, scientific expertise is demanded as an important input to design and facilitate communication and produce legitimation among the different stakeholders in debates about technology and applications of scientific knowledge. Based on these expectations, scientific expertise can assist policy-makers to address five major functions. (a) Providing factual insights that help policy makers to identify and frame problems and to understand the situation (enlightenment function). (b) Providing instrumental knowledge that allows policy-makers to assess and evaluate the likely consequences of each policy option ( pragmatic or instrumental function). (c) Providing arguments, associations, and contextual knowledge that help policy makers to reflect on their situation and to improve and sharpen their judgment ( reflexive function). (d) Providing procedural knowledge that help policy-makers to design and implement procedures for conflict resolution and rational decision making ( catalytic function). (e) Providing guidelines or designing policy options that assist decision-makers in their effort to communicate with and to the various target audiences ( communicative function). These five functions touch on crucial aspects of policy-makers' needs. Embeeded there is also a large potential for conflict and mutual disappointment between scientific advisors and policy-makers. The article will focus on the role of scientific expertise on policies regulating technological change and implementing applications of scientific research. The article will address the main problems and pitfalls of professional expertise providing input to technology policies and public communication about them.