Working at the Boundary: An Empirical Study into the Goals and Strategies of Knowledge Brokers in the Field of Environmental Governance in the Netherlands

Abstract

Abstract:There is a broad range of literature on individuals who mediate at the boundaries between science and policy. However, there seems to be little empirical evidence on the goals and strategies of knowledge brokers, even though they appear to be becoming increasingly important in the field of environmental science and policy. This paper aims to improve the understanding of why and how knowledge brokers operate through an analysis of 27 in-depth interviews. It demonstrates that they see themselves as (strategically) sensitive to all stakes and stakeholders involved, possess a large network, and act without interests. They appear to act strategically in two different settings: on stage, where the collaboration of all stakeholders is needed, and backstage, where the knowledge broker steers the process on his/her own. Furthermore, our research suggests that the (perceived) credibility and legitimacy of the knowledge broker is more important to the process than the degree of credibility and legitimacy of the knowledge used in the decision-making process, and that it would be advisable to deploy knowledge brokers proactively, instead of reactively, which could lead to 'incident politics'.

Higher Education Institutions as Knowledge Brokers in Smart Specialisation

“…The concept of the knowledge broker refers to the literature of boundary work between science, industry and policy, and communication, translation and mediation work within those boundaries [18,19]. The knowledge brokers can be defined as organisations such as firms, public authorities or associations, and acquire and exchange knowledge to foster competitiveness [19].…”

“…The concept of the knowledge broker refers to the literature of boundary work between science, industry and policy, and communication, translation and mediation work within those boundaries [18,19]. The knowledge brokers can be defined as organisations such as firms, public authorities or associations, and acquire and exchange knowledge to foster competitiveness [19]. In this case, they can be defined as collective actors and as individuals working in HEIs [20] providing knowledge-brokering goals and strategies from different organisational perspectives [19].…”

“…The knowledge brokers can be defined as organisations such as firms, public authorities or associations, and acquire and exchange knowledge to foster competitiveness [19]. In this case, they can be defined as collective actors and as individuals working in HEIs [20] providing knowledge-brokering goals and strategies from different organisational perspectives [19]. Knowledge brokering can be seen as processes, organisations, or individuals that increase or connect relationships, co-evolution and knowledge production between academic actors and other actors in policy processes [21].…”

Forward-Looking Sustainability Agency for Developing Future Cruise Ships

“…Motivation to look forward and a proactive attitude toward futures have been identified as significant drivers for sustainability agency [28,29]. In terms of human agency, F-L SA is linked to the initiation of new ideas, collaboration ties, insight sharing, and identification of future challenges for preferable futures [30][31][32]. For sustainability agency construction, the key attributes of social networks are advice seeking and trust between partners, which determines how much effort and commitment must be invested in collaborative development projects [33][34][35].…”

“…It follows that forward-looking is an essential element of sustainability agency as a social activity where different members of an organization share insights regarding possible futures [64]. This, in turn, stimulates broadening circles for seeking radical new ideas [30,65]. Additionally, some approaches have emphasized the social nature of foresight as a process of participation among members of one or more organizations [19,66].…”