[Centenary of the Health Council of the Netherlands. VI. Coordination mechanisms and the authority of the Health Council of the Netherlands].
What do scientific advisory boards such as the Health Council of the Netherlands get their authority from? How does the Council ensure that its advice is incorporated into policy and into the practices at which the advice is directed? A frequently heard answer to this question is: by describing 'the state of knowledge' as optimally as possible. However, case studies on advisory work by the Health Council have shown that this explanation is too simplistic. It is more likely that the explanation lies in the use of 'co-ordination tools'--such as problem definition, the committee process and a specific use of language--that enable the Council to both separate and bridge science and policy. The authority of the Council is based on the hybrid nature of its work.
Bal
R
R
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, instituut Beleid en Management Gezondheidszorg, Postbus 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam.
Hendriks
R
R
Bijker
W E
WE
D026683:Advisory Committees / Q000266:history*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands