Virology Experts in the Boundary Zone Between Science, Policy and the Public: A Biographical Analysis

This article aims to open up the biographical black box of three experts working in the boundary zone between science, policy and public debate. A biographical-narrative approach is used to analyse the roles played by the virologists Albert Osterhaus, Roel Coutinho and Jaap Goudsmit in policy and public debate. These figures were among the few leading virologists visibly active in the Netherlands during the revival of infectious diseases in the 1980s. Osterhaus and Coutinho in particular are still the key figures today, as demonstrated during the outbreak of novel influenza A (H1N1). This article studies the various political and communicative challenges and dilemmas encountered by these three virologists, and discusses the way in which, strategically or not, they handled those challenges and dilemmas during the various stages of the field’s recent history. Important in this respect is their pursuit of a public role that is both effective and credible. We will conclude with a reflection on the H1N1 pandemic, and the historical and biographical ties between emerging governance arrangements and the experts involved in the development of such arrangements

Experts as Policy Entrepreneurs: SARS, Avian Influenza and Hurricane Katrina as Focusing Events in Dutch Agenda Setting

The idea that scientists provide sound scientific advice to politics, and that they communicate to the public in an unbiased manner suffered from the challenges that new crises posed for science. However, crises are not just a scientific, political and public challenge to scientific expertise; they also create an opportunity for agenda setting activities by experts. Experts then become policy entrepreneurs. In this article we study two cases in which Dutch virologists and water engineers used SARS, avian influenza and Hurricane Katrina as events that could be used for their potential to focus political and public attention into problems that should, according to the scientists, be resolved. By deploying a biographical-narrative approach, this article focuses on the individual problem assessments, actions and their underlying motives. The article demonstrates not just how the experts from the two cases interacted with the crises, but also how their role as policy advisors and public communicators was shaped by their work at the science-policy interface

Risk Communication

This chapter provides further insight into how the important aspects of risk, and the communication about it, impacts decision making about and the understanding of complex science and technology issues. It describes the various ways in which experts, citizens, policymakers, media and interest groups approach risks. It gives insight into risk communication processes, and provides help to adequately carry out those processes. It concludes with a discussion on strategic choices to make to employ either an informative or a persuasive risk communication strategy

The "Knowledge Society" Open Review Forum 2010-2011:COMPRISING ORIGINAL 2011 OUTPUT SAMPLES

papers presented at the SGIR 7th Pan-European International Relations Conference, held in Stockholm in September 2010. Pre-conference versions of some of the research above appear(ed) at: http://stockholm.sgir.eu