How are Global Scientific Norms Made? The Case of the Biosecurity Paradigm

• In Event: 349 - Section on Sociology of Development Paper Session. Emerging Issues in the Sociology of Development

Abstract

The paper investigates the construction and evolution of global avian flu policies, focusing on the mediating role of the three principal international agencies in legitimizing knowledge, responses, and models. Specifically, I examined FAO and OIE’s suggestions on poultry rearing by analyzing policy documents and conducting semi-structured interviews with bureaucrats in these agencies. I found that these agencies perceived industrial poultry as a solution rather than a likely source of disease transmission. Most policy solutions, such as “biosecurity” and “compartmentalization,” evolved with the goal of protecting the continuity of meat trade, and were promoted by powerful transnational agribusiness. The analysis shows how international attempts to promote a compromise-based, modern and universal solution may reinforce the influence and scale of resourceful actors. The study reveals close intertwining of scientific knowledge and policy-making processes where science and political power are “coproduced.”

Author

• Yu-Ju Chien, University of Minnesota