Knowledge‐system theory in society: Charting the growth of knowledge‐system models over a decade, 1994–2003

The second half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of three knowledge‐system models: Mode 2 knowledge production, the Triple Helix, and Post‐Normal Science (PNS). Today, this emphasis on knowledge use is the focus of such important health movements as evidence‐based medicine. Building on the methodological work of Shinn (2002) and the theoretical work of Holzner and Marx (1979), we conducted a bibliometric study of the extent to which the three knowledge‐system models are used by researchers to frame problems of health‐knowledge use. By doing so, we reveal how these models fit into a larger knowledge system of health and evidence‐based decision making. The study results show clearly that although these knowledge models are extremely popular for contextualizing research, there is a distinct lack of emphasis on use of the models in knowledge utilization or evidence‐based medicine. We recommend using these models for further research in three specific dimensions of health systems analysis: (a) differences in language use, (b) transformative thinking about health‐knowledge functions, and (c) ethical analysis of institutional linkages.