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Standardising through concepts: scientific experts and the international development of the HACCP Food Safety Standard

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  • Demortain, David

Abstract

This paper deals with international standard-setting. Using the HACCP food safety standard as the basis of discussion, this paper considers the influence of scientific experts on the regulatory process. What is usually referred to as the diffusion or dissemination of soft or voluntary standards is here explained in terms of transferability of a regulatory concept. It is the ability of scientific experts to transform practices into a universal concept and, conversely, to develop technologies for users which translate the concept into practice, that explains why this reference has travelled so well across countries, industry sectors and historical periods. Scientific experts played a translating role between standard-setters and groups of practical users. This highlights the counter-intuitive distribution of power in standard-setting: while experts dominate the development of generic rules, official rule-makers (such as governments) assert their authority by developing alternative technologies for the appropriation of the standard by users and, sometimes, allow the latter to deviate from experts' universal concepts where these are shown to be problematic.

Suggested Citation

  • Demortain, David, 2007. "Standardising through concepts: scientific experts and the international development of the HACCP Food Safety Standard," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 36138, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:36138
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/36138/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Finnemore, Martha, 1993. "International organizations as teachers of norms: the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cutural Organization and science policy," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(4), pages 565-597, October.
    3. Finnemore, Martha & Sikkink, Kathryn, 1998. "International Norm Dynamics and Political Change," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(4), pages 887-917, October.
    4. Haas, Peter M., 1992. "Introduction: epistemic communities and international policy coordination," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(1), pages 1-35, January.
    5. Marie-Laure Salles-Djelic, 1998. "Exporting the American Model," Post-Print hal-01892020, HAL.
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    Cited by:

    1. Susanne Wengle, 2016. "When experimentalist governance meets science‐based regulations; the case of food safety regulations," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(3), pages 262-283, September.

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