The critical dependence on knowledge to govern has recast our politics across all levels of political analysis. At the systemic level, democracies are under pressure not only from populism and authoritarian backsliding, but also technocratic tendencies. Simultaneously, post-truth politics reveal the fragility of the epistemic foundations of democratic debate. Past and current policy crises further highlight that the way we use knowledge often turn our politics more partisan and polarized. This workshop understands epistemic politics as a preeminent puzzle of political analysis and seeks to consolidate a research agenda that bridges levels of analysis across different sub-fields of political science.
While knowledge, science and expertise have become established topics in different debates of political science, academic discourse on epistemic politics has noticeably failed to produce a structured research agenda beyond its specialised subfields. Some of the most advanced work from a systemic perspective, for instance, takes place in political philosophy (Bickerton and Invernizzi Accetti 2015; Crick 1962), coexisting next to older stands of research such as on regulatory governance (Majone, 1996; Radaelli 1999) and comparative politics (Bertsou and Caramani 2020). This workshop seeks to provide a much-needed cross-sectional forum to identify core ontological, conceptual, and theoretical issues of common empirical and normative concern to students of epistemic politics. A key concern is to overcome the existing disconnect between contrasting levels of analysis. For example, there is no ongoing research programme addressing the juxtaposition between the technological organisation of policy problems and needs of democratic institutions and representation.
Finding complementarities between existing research agendas – grand and granular – has never been more pressing. We believe the unique workshop format provides the opportunity for sustained interaction and personal exchange necessary to identify the contours and cornerstones of a more structured research agenda that can productively benefit the discipline. The organizers have already secured a contract for an edited volume on the emerging research agenda in this field that can serve as an initial outlet for research dissemination and drive forward the debate.
The workshop is open to scholars working on epistemic politics from all political science sub-fields using any methodological approach.
Bertsou, E. and Caramani, D. (eds) (2020) The Technocratic Challenge to Democracy Routledge
Bickerton, C. and Invernizzi Accetti, C. (2015) ‘Populism and Technocracy: Opposites or Complements?’ Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 20(2): 186–206.
Crick, B. (1962). In Defence of Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Dunlop, C.A. and Radaelli, C.M. (2020) ‘Technocracy and Public Policy’ in Bertsou, E. and Caramani, D. (eds) The Technocratic Challenge to Democracy Routledge, pp. 183-196
Fischer, F. (2009). Democracy and Expertise: Reorienting Policy Inquiry. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Majone, G. (1996). Regulating Europe. London: Routledge.
Radaelli, C.M. (1999). Technocracy in the European Union. New York: Longman
1: What are the contours of epistemic politics in an era of hyper-polarisation, super-diversity, and poly-crises?
2: In what respects are today’s epistemic politics distinct from the post-war politics of expertise?
3: What institutional and policy innovations are appearing across the world in response to the new epistemic politics
4: How do fast-moving technological innovations like big data and AI affect democratic authority?
5: How do new epistemic politics affect traditional notions of democratic representation?
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