Epistemic community (international relations)
Epistemic community ( German as: "Knowledge Community") is a social science concept, trying to explain what political control by authority of expert groups. Ontologically it is in epistemic communities to networks of experts who exercise authority in their respective areas of knowledge and also to influence policy decisions. The concept was made popular especially by the American political scientist Peter Haas, who seeks thus to explain cooperation between states in the international system.
Conceptual history
The term was introduced in 1968 by the sociologist Burkart Holzner. Holzner examined the perception and construction of reality and designated as epistemic communities essentially a group of individuals that have similar perceptions of reality, that share a certain form of knowledge with each other. Together with John Marx clarified the term Holzner later than "knowledge - oriented teamwork communities in Which cultural standards and social arrangements interpenetrate around a primary commitment to epistemic criteria in knowledge production to application" Holzner and Marx refers here primarily to scientists, the common faith makes to the scientific method as access to truth to epistemic communities. Knowledge is - as socially constructed - depending on the context. The epistemic community is a social group that shares defines the context and knowledge. This allows members of an epistemic community understand that produced by other members of the group knowledge and classify correctly. In extreme cases, the knowledge of an epistemic community to another community may be completely incomprehensible and meaningless. About the shared knowledge base, the group developed a self-image and a classification in the area. This understanding, that epistemic communities as a scientific community, have prevailed until the 90s.
With his 1992 published in International Organization approaches ( basically the introduction: "Introduction: epistemic communities and international policy coordination " ) made Haas the concept of epistemic communities in political science, concrete fruitful for International Relations. Haas employed as many other IB theorists after the end of the Cold War with the declaration of co-operation between States. The prevailing theories of realism and neorealism appeared to be insufficient for the explanation, since it depends on an anomic international system in which states are afraid of each other and are concerned about saving their mere existence, going out. Haas ' epistemic -community concept cooperation tries to explain the fact that many problems of experts are processed, the supranational also share the same knowledge in the sense of the same faith in fundamental truths or valid methods. The underlying assumption is that governments try to reduce uncertainty and to gain knowledge in the sense of interpreted information. It is about understanding social or physical processes so that decision makers can calculate the consequences of their actions. In particular, under this form of knowledge is not to understand that experts the intentions of other actors ( states, governments ) "guess" or estimate and also " raw data " within the meaning of isolated information (eg how big is the nuclear capability of a particular state? ) Are no relevant information for decision-makers. Haas emphasized the editing and meaning by the people ". The information is [ ... ] the product of human interpretations of social and physical phenomena " The political actors lack this due to the complexity of the reality of sufficient own skills so that they rely on the expertise of epistemic communities. This reach these expert groups to large de facto power, although it of formal legitimacy to them - for example, through elections - lacking. Haas has shown this mechanism on the basis of regulations to protect the ozone layer.
Definition
The epistemic community by Haas is a network of recognized experts in a particular field with the power of interpretation of politically relevant knowledge in this area. (An epistemic community is a network of professionals with expertise and competence in a Recognized Particular domain and an authoritative claim to policy- relevant knowledge within did domain or issue- area. ). These professionals may be experts in different disciplines in principle, so are not as Holzner / Marx limited to scientists. To form an epistemic community, these experts must
Possess.
Analytically relevant is the modeling of the epistemic community as an actor. So it 's not about that professionals advise individuals as governments, but that experts ( transnational) with other experts form a group that acts as an independent actor. The example of the ozone layer problem Haas explains that the epistemic communities defined both the problem and the expert group and appropriate solutions developed. The role of governments was ultimately only in these policies transform into international law.