Policy expertise in times of crisis

Abstract

Policy advisory systems, which provide evidence-informed policy advice to governments, are put under great pressure in times of crisis. Crisis situations may engender conflicting interpretations by stakeholders about how to respond. These conflicts are compounded by inevitable gaps in knowledge and uncertainties about how the crisis might develop. All governments face challenges beyond their control which can take many forms, ranging from financial and political disruptions through to health pandemics, natural disasters, and threats to national security. Such decision-making pressures were especially evident during the COVID-19 crisis and followed different trajectories in different countries. This introductory article frames a group of research studies that brings new insights into various aspects of how governmental policy advisory systems responded to this crisis. Policy advice was formulated against a backdrop of controversies about how to prioritise health outcomes, economic livelihoods and social interaction. These studies analyse policy advisory systems with particular attention to the quality of the available knowledge base, the disciplinary mix of expertise within advisory bodies, the roles of experts as either trusted insiders or as external commentators, as providers or ‘shapers’ of knowledge, and the degree of (in)formality in their relationships with politicians. These issues are also investigated in the context of creeping crises, such as climate change. Taken together, the special issue provides new insights into how knowledge provided through policy advisory systems informs crisis governance. In this way, it advances our knowledge of the relationship between experts in policy advisory systems and political decision-makers in times of crisis.