Description
Book SynopsisWhy do politicians and civil servants commission research, and what use do they make of it in policymaking? The received wisdom is that research contributes to improving government policy. This book challenges this view, arguing that policymakers are just as likely to value expert knowledge to establish authority in contentious areas of policy.
Trade Review'… this is an outstanding work of social science. As a result of its empirical and, above all, its theory-building ambitions, the volume deserves a wide readership not only of migration scholars but of all social scientists with an interest in policy processes and the role of knowledge in those processes … It cannot be recommended highly enough.' James Hampshire, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Table of ContentsList of figures and tables; Acknowledgements; Part I. The Political Functions of Knowledge: 1. The puzzle: explaining the uses of knowledge; 2. Instrumental knowledge and organizational legitimacy; 3. The symbolic functions of knowledge; 4. The uses of knowledge in public policy debates; Part II. The Case of Immigration Policy: 5. The politics of immigration in Germany and the UK; 6. The British Home Office; 7. The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees; 8. The European Commission; 9. Organizations and cultures of expertise; Part III. Extending the Theory: 10. Knowledge and policy; References; Index.
