Who are the European experts? Profiles, trajectories and expert ‘careers’ of the European Commission

Robert, Cécile

doi:10.1057/fp.2010.13

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Another sociologically-oriented study analyses expert group members' social resources and overlapping career trajectories as constitutive for common experiences and aspirations (Robert, 2010), but is silent on how this may affect their performance as proper experts.…”

Section: Existing Studies Of European Commission Expertsdo They Evalumentioning

confidence: 99%

Variables and Challenges in Assessing EU Experts’ Performance

Holst

Tørnblad

2015

PaG

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Expert advice in political processes is supposed to improve decisions. If expertise fails in this function, a legitimacy problem occurs: granting political power to experts may be defensible, but only on the grounds that it contributes to enlightening political processes and facilitate problem-solving. The paper provides a theoretical exploration of four variables that are key when assessing the epistemic quality of expert deliberations: the degree to which these deliberations are 1) informed by technical expertise, 2) regulated by epistemically optimal respect and inclusion norms, 3) focused on politically relevant and applicable knowledge, and 4) approaching questions involving moral judgment and standard setting competently. Previous research on the European Commission's use of expert advice has more or less overlooked the question of experts' epistemic performance, and this paper discusses the possible reasons for this in light of well-known methodological challenges in studies of elite behaviour; access and bias problems. A discussion of the merits and limitations of different available data on the Commission experts shows that the biggest obstacle in the study of experts' epistemic performance is rather the problem of epistemic asymmetry, i.e. of how researchers as non-experts can assess the epistemic quality of experts' contributions and behaviour. The paper offers, finally, a set of strategies to get research going despite this problem.

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Section: Existing Studies Of European Commission Expertsdo They Evalumentioning

confidence: 99%

Variables and Challenges in Assessing EU Experts’ Performance

Holst

Tørnblad

2015

PaG

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“…Scientific knowledge has dominated expertise in the past; however, scholars have argued the dominance of science within public policy is diminishing (Collins and Evans 2002, Maasen and Weingart 2005, Robert 2010). Maasen and Weingart (2005) argue that the proliferation of expertise has led to a considerable broadening of the number of experts available and a subsequent narrowing of the knowledge needed to be considered an expert.…”

Section: Expertisementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Maasen and Weingart (2005) argue that the proliferation of expertise has led to a considerable broadening of the number of experts available and a subsequent narrowing of the knowledge needed to be considered an expert. Scholars have noted the lines between expert and layperson have become blurred (Collins andEvans 2002, Maasen andWeingart 2005), scientific experts and academics no longer dominate in providing expertise (Collins and Evans 2002, Maasen and Weingart 2005, Robert 2010, and there are alternative means of garnering expertise, such as experience (Collins and Evans 2002, Shudson 2006, Collins and Evans 2007. The type of knowledge sought may depend on the degree to which a particular policy or project is technocratic, locking out certain actors from the process Nelson 1989, Verloo, Bustelo, andLombardo 2007).…”

Section: Expertisementioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Expertise in Public Policy

Hoard

2015

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This timely new series publishes leading monographs and edited collections from scholars working in the disciplinary areas of politics, international relations, and public policy with specific reference to questions of gender. The series showcases cutting-edge research in Gender and Politics, publishing topical and innovative approaches to gender politics. It will include exciting work from new authors and well-known academics and will also publish high-impact writings by practitioners working in issues relating to gender and politics.The series covers politics, international relations, and public policy, including gendered engagement with mainstream political science issues, such as political systems and policymaking, representation and participation, citizenship and identity, equality, and women's movements; gender and international relations, including feminist approaches to international institutions, political economy, and global politics; and interdisciplinary and emergent areas of study, such as masculinities studies, gender and multiculturalism, and intersectionality.

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“…This community of specialists was in fact fragmented into a multitude of positions of expertise (Robert 2010).…”

Section: A Political Sociology Of European Rule Of Lawmentioning

confidence: 99%