Knowing when knowledge performs its power in ecological economics

Abstract Scientific knowledge is performative, as it not only represents but also constitutes reality. In politically charged fields such as ecological economics and environmental policy, science-policy interactions are often integrated into the scientific process. It is therefore important to articulate the details of the context in which knowledge performs its power. The articulation should be sensitive to the self-reflexive character of knowledge: it makes a difference whether those who engage in science-policy interaction know when knowledge is performative. I develop an account of the process of science-policy interaction that recognizes the self-reflexive nature of human knowledge. I identify analogical relationships between science-policy interactions on one hand and the workings of distributed cognition in Shakespearean theatre on the other. I illustrate the account by explaining the outcomes of science-policy interaction in European research policy and Finnish energy policy. The typology of knowledge performativity enables transdisciplinary actors at the science-policy interface to pay attention to their epistemological and ethical responsibilities.