The Role of Scientific Expertise in COVID-19 Policy-making: Evidence from Four European Countries

Ron Hodges, Eugenio Caperchione, Jan Van Helden, Christoph Reichard, Daniela Sorrentino

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Abstract

Immense uncertainty and the need for drastic interventions cause politicians to rely heavily on scientific advice for underpinning or legitimating their COVID-19 decision-making. This paper explores the role of scientific advice in this policy field in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK. It shows that scientific advice is based on the disciplinary, mainly medical, backgrounds of advisors but is also influenced by social and economic values, which are core to what politicians find important. During the pandemic a growing gap between scientific advice and political decisions is observed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)249-267
Number of pages19
JournalPublic Organization Review
Volume22
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Apr 2022

Keywords

  • COVID-19 policy making
  • Political logics
  • Scientific advise
  • Scientific logics

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