Expert consensus helps policymakers solve complex problems by identifying and legitimizing policy solutions. Yet, persistent hesitation remains among policymakers regarding the technically adequate policy solution despite the existence and mobilization of epistemic communities. This paper contends that more attention should be given to studying the epistemic competition that may arise when multiple epistemic communities grapple with the same problem but have divergent understandings of its technical nature and its adequate policy solutions. Building on Science and Technology Studies and on the literature on polarization, this paper suggests that two social dynamics, namely the mobilization of resources and increased polarization, may complexify the technical disagreement among experts. In turn, these dynamics may lead to a deadlock in the debates, negatively impacting the institutional context where they take place. To illustrate this, this paper analyzes the case of the pharmaceutical innovation system, which has been prone to tensions between experts arguing for strong patent protection and experts arguing for greater flexibility to meet public health needs. This paper builds on a mixed method combining a social network analysis of experts invited to provide their expertise in the WHO-WTO-WIPO Trilateral Cooperation events and on semi-structured interviews with 24 of these experts.

中文翻译：

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全球治理中的认知竞争：药品专利案例

专家共识通过确定政策解决方案并使其合法化，帮助政策制定者解决复杂的问题。然而，尽管认知共同体的存在和动员，政策制定者对于技术上足够的政策解决方案仍然犹豫不决。本文认为，应该更多地关注研究当多个认知社区努力解决同一问题但对其技术性质和适当的政策解决方案存在不同理解时可能出现的认知竞争。本文以科学技术研究和极化文献为基础，提出两种社会动力，即资源的调动和极化的加剧，可能会使专家之间的技术分歧变得复杂。反过来，这些动态可能会导致辩论陷入僵局，对辩论所在的制度环境产生负面影响。为了说明这一点，本文分析了医药创新体系的案例，该体系很容易出现主张强有力的专利保护的专家与主张更大灵活性以满足公共卫生需求的专家之间的紧张关系。本文采用混合方法，结合了受邀在世卫组织-世贸组织-产权组织三边合作活动中提供专业知识的专家的社交网络分析以及对其中 24 名专家的半结构化访谈。