Introduction Environmental health risks = complex, wicked, ill-defined, messy

1. Beyond traditional sectoralpolicyarrangements Beyond traditional positivisticepistemology Ministry of Environment & Ministry of Public Health Flemish Centre on Expertise for EH Complexity New arrangements in SciencePolicy Interface Local Environmental Health Officers Introduction Environmental health risks = complex, wicked, ill-defined, messy = radicaluncertainty, imperfect knowledge, plurality of legitimateperspectives (controversial), multi-causality, unclearsense of all consequences and/orcumulative impact of collectiveaction, … An epistemological shift towards complexity: challenges for the Flemish Environmental Health Policy ArrangementPhD Kristien Stassen (HUB / VITO) & Prof. Dr. Pieter Leroy (Radboud University Nijmegen)Contact details: kristien.stassen@vito.be & p.leroy@ru.fm.nl Complex problemstranscend traditional policyfields Complex issues are the opposite of the modern epistemologycharacterizedbyrationality, full knowability, disciplinaryreductionism • Complexity of environmental health risks challenges traditional boundaries and stimulates cross-boundary arrangements at three levels: between scientific disciplines, between policy fields and between science and policy. • Complexity asks for new epistemological and methodological tools and novel institutions because boundary work takes place in institutions, organizations or networks and is done with assistance of tools. Research question How does boundary work between science and politics on the one hand and the environmental and health policy domains on the other hand have been influencing the development and characteristics of organizational institutions and methodological tools in the Flemish environmental health science policy arrangement over the last few decades? Goal Analyses of the Flemishenvironmentalhealthsciencepolicy arrangement – basedon the policy arrangement approach (actors, discourses, rules of the game and resources) - over the last three decades, trying to explainitschanges and continuities and to assesstheireffectivenesswhenit comes to deal withcomplexity. Becausescience as the primarysource of legitimacyforpolicyarguments have been questioned in case of complexity Methodology Single case-study approach based on qualitative data-triangulation: document analyses, interviews and participated observation. Preliminary results In Flanders, an epistemological and organisational renewal was induced by a dioxin crisis related to incinerators located in residential areas. The Flemish Environmental Health Network, including the Flemish Centre of Expertise on Environment and Health and Local Environmental Health Officers, are examples of new organizational institutions to realize boundary work between science and politics and between environment and health. An other part of this renewal is the development of new tools and methodologies, e.g. humanbiomonitoringprogramme, action plan, risk communication guideline, … Phasedaction-plan: translation of biomonitoringresultsintopolicypriorities and measures Humanbiomonitoringprogramme: comparison of exposure and healtheffectsdue to environmentalpressureassociatedwith different area types (rural, urbanized, industrialized, …) and agegroups (newbornbabies, adolescents and adults) Policy relevant scientific support group consisting of all Flemish universities and two research institutes Cell Environment and Health Divison of Public health Surveillance EnvironmentalHealth Section Risk communicationguidelines: principles • differences in risk perceptions • all forms of knowledge are relevant • scientific controversies/uncertainties are inevitable Contact point for intermediaries, citizens, local authority, … Flemish Environment and Health Network