How experts become experts
Experts’ statements are often used as foundation for decision-making in both economic and social areas. This process extends from politics to science and beyond. How experts are identified and what makes them experts is rarely the focus of news coverage or research. In his current scientific publication, Prof. Dr. habil. Heiko von der Gracht (School of International Business and Entrepreneurship) together with Dr. Stefanie Mauksch (University of Leipzig) and Theodore J. Gordon (Millennium Project) examines how experts become experts and which expert identification methods are available in science, especially in the field of futures studies.
Experts play a significant role in both, economic and social areas. They provide information for the decision-making of those responsible, for example with regard to diseases or technological developments. However, beyond these two areas, experts are also in the focus of different scientific works. In the form of expert interviews, they provide the foundation for portions of qualitative work. Furthermore, in the field of futures studies expert are brought together in a wide variety of formats, for example panels, to discuss trends and developments.
Despite their special position in various fields, it is often not clear how an expert has achieved his or her status and according to which criteria experts are selected for both, media and scientific interviews and methods.
In his new scientific publication "Who is an expert for foresight? A review of identification methods" in the journal "Technological Forecasting & Social Change" Prof. Dr. habil. Heiko von der Gracht examines how experts become experts. In cooperation with Dr. Stefanie Mauksch, lecturer at the Institute of Anthropology at the University of Leipzig and Theodore J. Gordon, Co-Founder and Board Member of the Millennium Project, the holder of the chair for futures studies and foresight at the School of International Business and Entrepreneurship (SIBE) of Steinbeis University also describes which expert identification methods are available in science and which of these methods are particularly suitable for work in futures studies.
Originalpublikation:
Mauksch, S. Von der Gracht, H. A., Gordon, T. J. (2020). Who is an expert for foresight? A review of identification methods. Technological Forecasting and Social Change,
Vol. 154, May 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.119982
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