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Standardizing and disseminating knowledge: the role of the OECD in global governance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2009

Rianne Mahon  and
Stephen McBride
Rianne Mahon
Affiliation:
Institute of Political Economy, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Stephen McBride*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
*
Email: prmahon@rogers.com
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Abstract

If ‘knowledge is power’, it is unsurprising that the production, legitimation, and application of social scientific knowledge, not least that which was designed to harness social organization to economic growth, is a potentially contentious process. Coping with, adapting to, or attempting to shape globalization has emerged as a central concern of policy-makers who are, therefore, interested in knowledge to assist their managerial activities. Thus, an organization that can create, synthesize, legitimate, and disseminate useful knowledge can play a significant role in the emerging global governance system. The OECD operates as one important site for the construction, standardization, and dissemination of transnational policy ideas. OECD staff conducts research and produces a range of background studies and reports, drawing on disciplinary knowledge (typically economics) supplemented by their ‘organizational discourses’. This paper probes the contested nature of knowledge production and attempts to evaluate the impact of the OECD’s efforts to produce globally applicable policy advice. Particular attention is paid to important initiatives in the labour market and social policy fields – the Jobs Study and Babies and Bosses.

Keywords

global governanceOECDneo-liberalism
Type
Research Article
Information
European Political Science Review , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , March 2009 , pp. 83 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © European Consortium for Political Research 2009

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