Global institutions and social knowledge : generating research at the Scripps Institution and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 1900s-1990s /

Global institutions and social knowledge : generating research at the Scripps Institution and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 1900s-1990s /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Walsh, Virginia M.
Imprint:	Cambridge, Mass. ; London : MIT, ©2004.
Description:	1 online resource (xvi, 171 pages).
Language:	English
Series:	Politics, science, and the environment Politics, science, and the environment.
Subject:	Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Marine sciences -- Research -- History -- 20th century. Research institutes -- Social aspects. Marine sciences -- Research. Research institutes -- Social aspects. Electronic books. History.
Format:	E-Resource Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11131249

Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:	Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission.
ISBN:	9780262285704 0262285703 1417561920 9781417561926
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 151-166) and index. English. Print version record.
Summary:	This theoretical and empirical study examines the influence of global institutions on the generation of scientific knowledge. Virginia Walsh's approach reverses the traditional focus of international relations literature--which most often deals with how scientific knowledge influences institutions--and offers an original way to look at international environmental governance. After proposing a theory of institutional mechanisms by which global institutions shape the generation of knowledge, the book turns to detailed case studies of two institutions in the under- studied but vital area of marine science, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, to illustrate these mechanisms.In part 1, "Theory," the book identifies three specific mechanisms or "fixes" that provide the means by which institutions shape the generation and use of knowledge. With the positional fix, key individuals use their social roles or positions in an institution to influence the beliefs of members or fix the direction of research. The statutory fix occurs when beliefs gain acceptance as a consequence of being embedded in rules or treaties. The committee fix is illustrated in the regularized practices through which social groups accept statements as group beliefs. Part 2, "Evidence," shows these mechanisms at work in the two case studies. The Scripps Institution, for example, illustrates the positional fix, as successive directors used their position to frame research. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, on the other hand, exemplifies both the statutory fix and the committee fix in its regulatory actions.
Other form:	Print version: Walsh, Virginia M. Global institutions and social knowledge. Cambridge, Mass. ; London : MIT, ©2004 0262232367 0262731673

Table of Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Foreword / Oran R. Young
I. Theory
1. Introduction
2. Global institutions and social knowledge
II. Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 1900s-1990s
3. Exploring Pacific ecosystems : Scripps Institution, 1905-1917
4. Scripps Institution, 1917-1940
5. Scripps Institution, World War II, and the Cold War
6. Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, 1950s-1990s.