This theoretical and empirical study examines the influence of global                  institutions on the generation of scientific knowledge. Virginia Walsh's approach                  reverses the traditional focus of international relations literature--which most                  often deals with how scientific knowledge influences institutions--and offers an                  original way to look at international environmental governance. After proposing a                  theory of institutional mechanisms by which global institutions shape the generation                  of knowledge, the book turns to detailed case studies of two institutions in the                  under- studied but vital area of marine science, the Scripps Institute of                  Oceanography and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, to illustrate these                  mechanisms.In part 1, "Theory," the book identifies three specific mechanisms or                  "fixes" that provide the means by which institutions shape the generation and use of                  knowledge. With the positional fix, key individuals use their social roles or                  positions in an institution to influence the beliefs of members or fix the direction                  of research. The statutory fix occurs when beliefs gain acceptance as a consequence                  of being embedded in rules or treaties. The committee fix is illustrated in the                  regularized practices through which social groups accept statements as group                  beliefs. Part 2, "Evidence," shows these mechanisms at work in the two case studies.                  The Scripps Institution, for example, illustrates the positional fix, as successive                  directors used their position to frame research. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna                  Commission, on the other hand, exemplifies both the statutory fix and the committee                  fix in its regulatory actions.

Global Institutions and Social Knowledge: Generating Research at the Scripps Institution and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 1900s-1990s (Politics, Science, and the Environment)

Global Institutions and Social Knowledge: Generating Research at the Scripps Institution and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 1900s-1990s (Politics, Science, and the Environment) PDF

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