ABSTRACT
No matter how good experts can predict the future or how evidence based their advice is, their clients may discard the findings. Unless the expert has the jurisdictional power to implement a course of action, there is a loose connection between advice and action. The concept of a Politics of Knowledge denotes the fact that policies are not routinely based on the best available knowledge or evidence. Also, scientific knowledge does not necessarily lead to courses of political action, and good evidence does not equal good policy. Politicians may even ignore the advice or prediction of experts (even if they are ‘superforecasters’). This chapter will examine approaches from Political Science and Political Theory. Special attention will be given to approaches known under the labels of epistemic communities, deliberative democracy, and knowledge regimes.
