The Political Uses of Expert Knowledge

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Boswell
Keyword(s):  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
The Political

Institutions and Discourses on Childcare for Children Under the Age of Three in a Comparative French-Czech Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 120-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hana Hašková ◽  
Radka Dudová
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
The Political ◽  
Formal Care ◽  
Framing Analysis ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Political Economic

The article compares the development of policies pertaining to care for preschool children in the course of the second half of the 20th century in France and in the Czech Republic. It aims at identifying the key factors that led to the differentiation of the policies and institutions in the two countries, especially with respect to support for extra-familial care and formal care institutions (nurseries). We build on the theories of ‘new’ institutionalisms and we apply framing analysis, which allows us to understand the formation of ideas that precede policy changes. Specifically, we discuss the role of expert discourse and the framings of care for young children in the process of social policy change. We argue that expert knowledge in interaction with the political, economic, and demographic contexts and how it has been presented in public have had a fundamental impact on the formation of childcare policies and institutions in the two countries.

scholarly journals Populist Disinformation: Exploring Intersections between Online Populism and Disinformation in the US and the Netherlands

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hameleers
Keyword(s):  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
The Political ◽  
Discursive Construction ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
The People ◽  
The Press ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mainstream Press

The discursive construction of a populist divide between the ‘good’ people and ‘corrupt’ elites can conceptually be linked to disinformation. More specifically, (right-wing) populists are not only attributing blame to the political elites, but increasingly vent anti-media sentiments in which the mainstream press is scapegoated for not representing the people. In an era of post-truth relativism, ‘fake news’ is increasingly politicized and used as a label to delegitimize political opponents or the press. To better understand the affinity between disinformation and populism, this article conceptualizes two relationships between these concepts: (1) blame attributions to the dishonest media as part of the corrupt elites that mislead the people; and (2) the expression of populist boundaries in a people-centric, anti-expert, and evidence-free way. The results of a comparative qualitative content analysis in the US and Netherlands indicate that the political leaders Donald Trump and Geert Wilders blame legacy media in populist ways by regarding them as part of the corrupt and lying establishment. Compared to left-wing populist and mainstream politicians, these politicians are the most central players in the discursive construction of populist disinformation. Both politicians bypassed empirical evidence and expert knowledge whilst prioritizing the people’s truth and common sense at the center stage of honesty and reality. These expressions resonated with public opinion on Facebook, although citizens were more likely to frame mis- and disinformation in terms of ideological cleavages. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the role of populist discourse in a post-factual era.

A political framework for understanding heritage dynamics in Turkey (1950–1980)

Urban History ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Mesut Dinler
Keyword(s):  
Historic Preservation ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Political ◽  
Conservation Movement ◽  
Historic Structures ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Historic Cities

Abstract The article focuses on the actions of the High Council for Immovable Historic Works and Monuments (HC), which was active from 1951 to 1983 as the sole decision-maker in issues of historic preservation for all historic structures and sites in Turkey. The HC archives reveal a historical and political framework for understanding the context within which the HC operated. Expert knowledge, especially in the conservation of historic cities, has been a powerful instrument, although the use of this instrument depended on the political context. The HC extended its authority in the 1950s, operating under a conservative autocratic government. In the 1960s and 1970s, on the other hand, when central power was lacking and society was dominated by political violence, chaos and economic instability, the HC could reinforce and exercise its power to raise standards in historic preservation in line with the international conservation movement.

Past and Present Nationalist Political Rhetoric in Finland: Changes and Continuities

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 160-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inari Sakki ◽  
Eemeli Hakoköngäs ◽  
Katarina Pettersson
Keyword(s):  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Political Rhetoric ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Political ◽  
Negative Picture ◽  
The Past ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
The Stranger ◽  
Historical Periods ◽  
Newspaper Articles

This article focuses on nationalist political rhetoric in two historical periods in Finland. We analysed the rhetorical changes and continuities in anticommunist newspaper articles from the past (1930s) and in anti-Islam blogs in the present (2010s). We identified two similar discourses in the political rhetoric of both eras, each discourse constructed around two different Others: the external Other, the stranger from the outside world, and the internal Others, those within our own society. Our analysis identified some significant differences pertaining to the form of the rhetoric in the two studied time periods. The writers in the past used unproblematic and blatant rhetoric that often relied on metaphorical and hyperbolic expressions. The present-day bloggers painted a negative picture of the Other more often than did their counterparts of the 1930s by using factuality-enhancing strategies such as giving details, citing statistics, and drawing on expert knowledge. Importantly, moreover, the present-day discourse was characterised by defensive and counterattacking rhetorical formulations, as illustrated by the extensive denials and reversals of racism. Our analysis suggests that the discourse of Otherness seems to require much more rhetorical work and justifying proclamations in the present than in the past nationalist political rhetoric.

The role of the expert knowledge in politicizing urban planning processes: A case from Istanbul

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-259
Author(s):  
Esin Özdemir
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
The Political ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Critical Literature ◽  
Active Citizen

This article discusses the relationship between the expert knowledge and the prospects of politicizing and democratizing urban planning. The term ‘experts’ refers mainly to urban planners, yet also includes architects, engineers and lawyers, who are specialized in planning. The article begins with a review of the critical literature on communicative planning, agonistic pluralism, agonistic planning and discussions on what needs to be done in planning focusing on the role of the expert knowledge. It argues that expert knowledge can gain different and multi-dimensional roles in urban planning processes, leading not necessarily to techno-management, yet contributing in their inclusiveness and conflict sensitivity. Encompassing both technical support and objective intermediation for local communities, it can both be utilized to build an agonistic space and help the communities better utilize the existing communicative/collaborative channels to voice their disagreements. By this way, it contributes in the politicization and democratization of planning processes. With this argument, the article also aims to challenge the strict distinction between ‘the politics’ and ‘the political’ as well as the related communicative–agonistic divide. The argument is supported by evidence from a case study on two informally built residential neighbourhoods in Istanbul, where there has been an active citizen opposition and involvement in a planning process.

scholarly journals Selected by expertise? Scientific experts in German news coverage on Covid-19 compared to other pandemics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Leidecker-Sandmann ◽  
Patrizia Attar ◽  
Markus Lehmkuhl
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
The Political ◽  
Scientific Experts ◽  
Scientific Expertise ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Selection Of

At the time of the corona pandemic, the population has a great need for information. (Mass) Media try to provide the concerned citizens with answers to their pressing questions with the help of scientific actors and their expert knowledge. Scientific experts serve as an important source of information for journalists and for society. Therefore, it is of particular relevance to examine, which scientific actors are discussing scientific issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic publicly via media coverage. Of particular interest is a look at the scientific expertise of the so-called experts, because the quality of the available information stands and falls with it. Our study describes the journalistic selection of scientific experts in German news coverage on Covid-19 compared to other pandemics. We analyze, which experts get a chance to speak in media coverage, how diverse the spectrum of selected experts is and how their scientific expertise is to be assessed. Our findings show that the Covid-19 coverage is dominated by actors from the political executive and less than in previous pandemics by scientific experts. Further, the Corona debate is characterised by a greater diversity of expert voices than the previous pandemic debates and therefore less concentrated on a few individual scientists only. Further, the journalistic selection of scientific experts is biased in favour of those who have a high scientific expertise. On average, media coverage on the Covid-19 pandemic makes references to more reputable and acknowledged scientific experts compared to earlier pandemics.

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