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How do new forms of scientific expertise emerge? Representations, experimentation, promotion, and negotiation. The case of INSERM's systematic literature review methods Volume 39, issue 2, Juin 2021

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* Politiste, Institut de sciences politiques Louvain Europe, Université Catholique de Louvain, Chaussée de Binche 151, 7000 Mons, Belgique

Institutional frameworks of expertise refer to theoretical principles and practical modalities of particular forms of expertise. Few social scientists have focused on how these frameworks emerge, and the work of their entrepreneurs in this process remains unclear. Here, we argue that these frameworks are the product of a lengthy, incremental, and uncertain process. Three activities—all of them carried out by entrepreneurs of institutional frameworks of expertise—are central to this process: the practical application of these entrepreneurs’ representations and experimentation (or trial and error); the examination of existing frameworks; and the promotion and negotiation of the framework with policymakers and other potential expertise users. This article is based on a case study on the development of “Expertise Collective” (a systematic literature review method) by the director of France's National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, INSERM) and his entourage between 1982 and 1994.