Table 1. Ideal types of knowledge use and decision-making

Model Primary locus of authority Typical knowledge process Principal strengths Principal risks
Expert-commissioned Formal expert council or commission Evidence synthesis, hearings, deliberation, integrated report, political filtering Analytical coherence, common vocabulary, visible diagnosis Professional closure, manufactured consensus, weak linkage to implementation
Executive-decisionist President, cabinet, ministries, executive agencies Selective technical input, crisis framing, rapid agenda closure, legislative authorization Speed, decisiveness, clear accountability, responsiveness Limited contestation, weak learning, implementation and stability risks
Dialogic-negotiated Multi-actor dialogue among state and organized stakeholders Joint diagnosis, thematic negotiation, iterative drafting, incremental translation Ownership, experiential knowledge, implementation fit, legitimacy Slow process, compromise, representation gaps, blurred accountability
Source: Author’s elaboration.