Expertise is undoubtedly a feature of policy areas in contemporary societies; inputs of formal knowledge are important components of the policy process. The post- 1945 period, in Britain, has witnessed a proliferation and diversification in both the number and type of expert, and expert group used in policy areas. This situation poses both theoretical and empirical difficulties for any analysis of the role and influence of expert groups. The thesis focuses upon expert groups in the policy process, the nature and reasons for their influence, and the subsequent democratic and normative implications raised by such an analysis. The thesis makes an assessment of the various definitions of the expert, as well as a thorough examination of technocracy. Moreover, the nature of expertise is examined to demonstrate how expert influence may alter at different levels in the policy-making process. It is contended that complexity, and a corresponding requirement of legitimacy, are the primary reasons for the use of experts in policy areas. This analysis is placed in historical context since 1945, a period that has witnessed alterations in both the nature and type of expert and expert group, the level of demand for expertise, and the reasons for that demand, made by policy- makers for expert input. This theoretical and historical overview is utilised in the analysis of two diverse case studies of policy sub-sectors: the case of air pollution and asthma, and the siting of the route of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Although distinct in nature, it is shown that within both of these policy areas expert groups operate on a formal mandate, as a result of complexity and a requirement of legitimacy. And furthermore, that the primary effect of the complex nature of the policy-making process, and the corresponding use of expert knowledge to legitimate policy, is on the level and type of political participation.

No description available.

Graduation date: 1970

Graduation date: 1973

Asthma prevalence is increasing worldwide and the causes of this increase are largely unknown. There is increasing recognition of the importance of early environmental exposures in childhood asthma development. Outdoor air pollution has been shown to trigger asthma symptoms but its role in incident disease remains controversial. To address these questions, I investigated the effect of in utero and first year of life exposure to ambient air pollution on risk of asthma diagnosis in a nested case-control study. All children born in Southwestern British Columbia in 1999 and 2000 (N=37,401) were assessed for incidence of asthma diagnosis at age 3 - 4 years using hospitalization and primary physician records. Exposure to ambient air pollution was estimated for the gestational period and first year of life using high-resolution pollution surfaces derived from government monitoring station data as well as land use regression models adjusted for temporal variation. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to estimate effects of CO, NO, NO₂, PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, O₃, SO₂, black carbon, wood smoke and proximity to roads and point sources on asthma diagnosis. Elevated risks of asthma diagnosis were observed with increased early life exposure to CO, NO, NO₂, PM₁₀, SO₂, black carbon and proximity to point sources. Effects were generally larger for first year exposures than in utero exposures, and larger for girls than boys. The results indicate that early life exposure to air pollution is associated with increased risk of asthma diagnosis in early childhood. Although the effect sizes are small, air pollution exposure in urban areas is ubiquitous so may have significant effects at the population level. These results should be confirmed when children are older and asthma diagnosis is more robust.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Univ., 2003. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Carleton University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-84). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Texas Tech University, 2004. / Adviser: Mario G. Beruvides. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.