Negotiating Expertise in Debates About School Closures During COVID-19 in England, Germany, and Italy

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Seven
  In Roundtable Session: Media in Focus: How the News Constructs Education Policy (Table 7)

Abstract

By analyzing debates about education policy responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in news media and public documents in England, Germany and Italy between mid-February and the end of May 2020, we identify the role of expertise in framing, legitimating and rendering trustworthy the positions taken and settlements reached. We compare how (a) ‘interactional’ educational, medical and social research, and (b) ‘contributory’ professional judgement shaped debates about school closures. We find that policy actors frequently employ interactional expertise to depoliticize their positions, whereas contributory experts often engage directly in debates, challenging assumptions and highlighting injustices. We suggest that the way expertise is seen to inform decision-making during crises has enduring consequences for public trust in both research and professional practice.

Authors

• Peter Kelly, University of Plymouth
  Presenting Author

• Susann Hofbauer, Helmut-Schmidt-University
  Presenting Author

• Barbara Gross, Chemnitz University of Technology
  Presenting Author