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INFLUEX: The influence of experts on public policy

The project examines how much influence experts have over public policy, and how much power they ought to have.

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Camilla Stoltenberg (left), Bent Høie and Erna Solberg. Photo: Eirin Larsen, Office of the Prime Minister (CC BY-NC 2.0)

About the project

Experts are seemingly everywhere nowadays, providing advice on everything from economic policy to climate change and the pandemic response. But to what extent do experts actually influence public policies? What are the implications of expert influence for democracy and good governance?

The project tackles these questions head-on using innovative methods and combining perspectives from the social sciences and philosophy.

Project aims

INFLUEX aims to map, analyze and assess the influence of experts on public policy and debate. This will be done through empirical studies of the policy influence of expert bureaucracies, advisory commissions, international expert bodies and citizen experts.

To identify expert influence, the project draws on new methodological approaches such as citation analysis and ‘plagiarism’ analysis. INFLUEX also examines the question of how much influence experts ought to have in a democracy, taking into account both the epistemic quality of policies and democratic concerns.

Cooperation

  • Leiden University
  • Institute for Social Research, Oslo
  • University of Mainz
  • Aarhus University

Duration

From 01.08.23 to 31.07.27

Funding

Research Council of Norway - Groundbreaking Research Grant. Project number 336050.

Published Feb. 27, 2023 3:12 PM - Last modified Mar. 7, 2023 10:16 AM