Políticas epistémicas y gobernanza. Un análisis comparativo de las regulaciones norteamericana y europea sobre declaraciones de propiedades saludables

  1. Sanz Merino, Noemí 1
  2. José Luis Luján 1
  1. 1 Universitat de les Illes Balears
    info

    Universitat de les Illes Balears

    Palma, España

    ROR https://ror.org/03e10x626

Journal:
Revista española de ciencia política

ISSN: 1575-6548

Year of publication: 2021

Issue: 55

Pages: 93-117

Type: Article

DOI: 10.21308/RECP.55.04 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openDialnet editor

More publications in: Revista española de ciencia política

Sustainable development goals

Abstract

This article analyzes North American and European health claims regulations. By making use of the concept of epistemic policy, we show that the European regulation is committed to a monistic assessment approach, which favors a certain scientific methodology, while the North American regulation is committed to a pluralist epistemic policy. The comparative analysis of both regulations shows that each epistemic policy depends on particular regulatory objectives. We conclude that there is no single epistemic policy that serves to achieve different regulatory objectives. Moreover, we conclude that the choice of one epistemic policy or another entrenches the objectives of regulation, sets the trajectory of technological innovation and it entails other socio-political implications. In particular, we show how the European epistemic policy is compatible with a hard governance mode, while the North American one is more compatible with a softer governance mode. Finally, we hold that our conclusions are extensible to current evidence-based policy proposals. It is not reasonable, in accordance with our results, to think that there is one single type of scientific evidence useful for all public policies objectives. Committing to one or another epistemic policy would lead to think that only a certain type of political interventions would have supporting evidence.

Funding information

Este trabajo se ha realizado con el apoyo financiero del Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional de la Comisión Europea (FEDER), Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), proyecto de investigación «Estándares de prueba y elecciones metodológicas en la fundamentación científica de las declaraciones de salud» (FFI2017-83543-P), y la ayuda Cas18/00126.

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