The governance of usable and welcome knowledge, two perspectives

Abstract

This chapter concentrates on the use of (scientific) knowledge by policy-makers. The first part of this chapter takes the point of view of policy-makers. There may be many reasons why research is sometimes not welcome, but the most common reason seems to be that the research is not considered as usable in a certain situation. The timing may be wrong (too early, too late), or the results does not match with the way the political problem has been framed or reframed. It will be argued that the dominant governance style of the policy-making process may show a preference for certain qualities of the produced research, such as the authority of the researchers, the discourse on the quality of the research, or the price. Policy-makers should therefore be aware that scientists do often not know the finesses of political decision-making and its consequences for the usability of knowledge, and should develop a “metagovernance” of usable knowledge . The other way around also applies: it is important that scientists understand the process of political decision-making.

The second part of the chapter illustrates what may happen when researchers produce politically highly unwelcome news. There are many examples – starting with Galileo Galilei – of the pressures and sanctions researchers may face when the result of their research is not welcomed. Unwelcome research may be fought, kept quiet, silenced or distorted. It will be argued that scientists should be aware of these mechanisms, and should not give in to such pressures. Students should be trained to deal with this problem, and an award for courageous science should be considered. In a third and closing part both authors share and combine these notions.