Unity of beliefs between scientific experts and policymakers: The decision of the Belgian federal government to lockdown
(2023) ECPR General Conference — Location: Praha (4.September.2023)
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- Abstract
- Although they experienced increasing political distrust in recent years, the Covid-19 health crisis has brought the influence of scientific experts on public policy back to the forefront. They convinced the government that the lockdown of the whole population was the best option available in a context where scientific information was multiple and uncertain, at least at the beginning of the pandemic. How can the choice of such an extreme public policy instrument be explained ? This paper shows that this regained and strong influence of experts results from a unity of beliefs within the subsystem that facilitates the instrumental use of knowledge. By analyzing the different arguments put forward by experts and political decision-makers in their justification to lockdown, this article attempts to outline the different evolutions and explanations behind this convergence between experts and policy-makers.
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Van Belleghem, C. (2023). Unity of beliefs between scientific experts and policymakers: The decision of the Belgian federal government to lockdown. ECPR General Conference, Praha. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/101440