2134/11889840.v1
Christos Kourtelis
Christos
Kourtelis
The role of epistemic communities and expert knowledge in the European neighbourhood policy
Loughborough University
2020
Epistemic communities
Knowledge utility
ENP
Anti-corruption
Rural development
2020-02-25 13:34:39
Journal contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/The_role_of_epistemic_communities_and_expert_knowledge_in_the_European_neighbourhood_policy/11889840
This article fills a gap in the literature on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) by examining the
role that epistemic communities play in the policy. It follows an interdisciplinary approach for
categorising their role in the ENP and the use of their knowledge by policymakers. Based on the
examination of two key areas of the ENP, anti-corruption and rural development, the study challenges
one-dimensional assumptions, which claim that expertise and knowledge improve the technicaleconomic efficiency of EU policies. The findings of this research suggest that the knowledge of
epistemic communities takes three different forms for policymakers: political/symbolic, instrumental
and conceptual.