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When Does Science Matter? International Relations Meets Science and Technology Studies

Author

Listed:
  • Rolf Lidskog

    (Department of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, Örebro University)

  • Göran Sundqvist

    (Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, Univesrity of Oslo)

Abstract

Under what conditions does science influence environmental policy? International relations (IR) scholars argue that to gain political influence, science should not connect to policy before scientific consensus has been reached. We take this suggestion as a point of departure for investigating how science is and should be connected to policy in international environmental governance. Using insights from science and technology studies (STS), we discuss the contributions of IR, both to present its limitations and to further develop understanding of scientific consensus within IR and the need for separation and connection between science and policy. The organization and performance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is used as an illustrative case. We conclude that the focus within STS on contextual and informal factors could improve understanding of the science–policy relationship, which tends to focus on the formal organizational design of the interplay between science and policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Rolf Lidskog & Göran Sundqvist, 2015. "When Does Science Matter? International Relations Meets Science and Technology Studies," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 15(1), pages 1-20, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:14:y:2014:i:4:p:1-20
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    4. Haas, Peter M., 1989. "Do regimes matter? Epistemic communities and Mediterranean pollution control," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(3), pages 377-403, July.
    5. Peter M. Haas, 2008. "Climate Change Governance after Bali," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 8(3), pages 1-7, August.
    6. Hulme,Mike, 2009. "Why We Disagree about Climate Change," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521898690.
    7. Gert Goeminne, 2012. "Lost in Translation: Climate Denial and the Return of the Political," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 12(2), pages 1-8, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jeanie Bukowski, 2017. "A “new water culture†on the Iberian Peninsula? Evaluating epistemic community impact on water resources management policy," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 35(2), pages 239-264, March.
    2. Chee, Liberty, 2023. "The Problem of Domestic Work at the International Labour Organization," SocArXiv bfm3s, Center for Open Science.
    3. Alejandro Esguerra & Silke Beck & Rolf Lidskog, 2017. "Stakeholder Engagement in the Making: IPBES Legitimization Politics," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 17(1), pages 59-76, February.
    4. Kenji Otsuka, 2022. "Co‐optation in co‐production: Maintaining credibility and legitimacy in transboundary environmental governance in East Asia," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(6), pages 771-797, November.
    5. Karin M. Gustafsson, 2019. "Learning from the Experiences of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Balancing Science and Policy to Enable Trustworthy Knowledge," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-14, November.
    6. Thor Olav Iversen, 2023. "Boundary experts: Science and politics in measuring the Sustainable Development Goals," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 14(4), pages 600-610, September.
    7. Rolf Lidskog & Monika Berg & Karin M. Gustafsson & Erik Löfmarck, 2020. "Cold Science Meets Hot Weather: Environmental Threats, Emotional Messages and Scientific Storytelling," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(1), pages 118-128.
    8. Kari De Pryck, 2021. "Intergovernmental Expert Consensus in the Making: The Case of the Summary for Policy Makers of the IPCC 2014 Synthesis Report," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 21(1), pages 108-129, Winter.
    9. Alejandro Esguerra & Sandra van der Hel, 2021. "Participatory Designs and Epistemic Authority in Knowledge Platforms for Sustainability," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 21(1), pages 130-151, Winter.
    10. Monika Berg & Rolf Lidskog, 2018. "Pathways to deliberative capacity: the role of the IPCC," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 11-24, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    environmental policy; international relations; science and technology studies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F5 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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