Institutional Environment,Knowledge Production and Sources of Authority in Inter-national Organizations
Knowledge serves as a vital foundation of professional authority for international organizations.Understanding the intricacies of knowledge production is crucial for compre-hending the operational dynamics of these entities.Three distinct categories of knowledge can be generated by international organizations:data quantification,elucidations,and ad-visory recommendations.These varying forms of knowledge assume different roles within the decision-making procedure of international organizations.However,it is important to note that international organizations often lack autonomy in categorizing the knowledge they pro-duce,as their output are subject to internal and external influences.The institutional envi-ronment in which an international organization operates significantly influences the type of knowledge it produces,by affecting its legitimacy and production capability.This hypothesis is verified by two case studies delineating the evolutionary trajectory of knowledge production within the purview of environmental and health governance at the Eu-ropean Environment Agency(EEA)and the World Health Organization(WHO).Notably,both the EEA and WHO embarked upon their technical advisory endeavors with a focus on data quantification,subsequently undergoing a paradigm shift in the typology of knowledge production,which was spurred by external critiques.Nevertheless,the EEA focused more on creating indicators,immediately providing interpretive evaluations that are essential for problem solving and implementation tracking,while the WHO acted mainly as an advisory body,selecting and ranking different options.This disparity is a result of the following fact:the EEA has the ability to define the objectives of knowledge production relatively clearly and has the ability to effectively adapt its organizational structure to meet the new require-ments,but the WHO lacks the capacity to do so and can only passively transform knowledge production.Unveiling the"black box"of knowledge production in international organizations underscores the inherently political underpinnings inherent to this process.
knowledge productioninternational organizationsinstitutional environmentEuropean Environment AgencyWorld Health Organization
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