PEriTiA – Policy, Expertise and Trust in Action

Institution

All European Universities (ALLEA)

Country

Armenia,France, Germany, ireland, italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, united Kingdom

Type of Study

Multi-disciplinary research

Key Focus of Study

PERITIA – Policy, Expertise and Trust in Action – is an international research project exploring the conditions under which people trust expertise used for shaping public policy. The COVID-19 outbreak has become a real-time test for the role of experts in governance. Scientists and experts are in the spotlight of daily debates. Excellent, timely and independent science advice is at the core of government actions to tackle this health emergency. Policymakers and experts are working together to make use of the best evidence and knowledge available. All this requires communicating scientific knowledge and uncertainty under extraordinary circumstances. In this context, understanding trust in expertise becomes essential. PEriTiA investigates the conditions under which people trust experts and their expertise used for policymaking. Its team members and partners are collaborating to help the public and policymakers with their knowledge and research. Trust is the glue that binds our social interactions. Trust in the provenance and justification of policy measures are essential for their implementation. Sociotechnological transformations and the rise of populist politics with its anti-elitist mantra have put public trust in expert opinion and their areas of expertise to the test. In PERITIA, philosophers, social and natural scientists, policy experts, ethicists, psychologists, media specialists and civil society organisations will come together to review the role of science in policy decision-making and the conditions under which people should trust and rely on expert opinion. The key hypothesis is that affective and normative factors play a central role in decisions to trust, even in cases where judgements of trustworthiness may seem to be grounded in epistemic considerations, such as professional reputation, reliability and objectivity. The project will use climate change and climate science as a test case.

Key Stakeholders

Public, scientist, policymakers

Funding Institution(s)

EU Horizon2020

Status

Ongoing

More information

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