Document Type Index Botcheva-Andonova, L. 2001.
Technical information is a key aspect of governance responses to complex global problems.
The distributional implications of international agreements, however, can interfere with the process of effective knowledge building and communication. One salient question that emerges is how to structure the supply of expertise so as to enhance its policy relevance and uptake across different interests, beliefs, and cultures. I argue that in order to serve as a basis for cooperation, expertise needs to be politically engaged. A structure that allows for broad political authorization enhances the credibility, adequacy, and legitimacy of technical information, and thus its policy relevance and effectiveness. The comparative case studies of the role of economic assessments in the approximation of EU air-quality legislation in Poland and Bulgaria provide evidence in support of this argument.