International Boundary Organisations and the Knowledge-Governance Interface: The Co-production of Digital Sequence Information at the Convention on Biological Diversity

Abstract

Deliberation on Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) for global grand challenges takes place within International Organisations, where complexity, uncertainty, and value divergence complicate traditional notions of the science-policy interface. This thesis argues that the Knowledge-Governance Interface (KGI) better captures the reciprocal and power-laden relations between knowledge and decision making. It develops an analytical framework for studying KGIs within International Boundary Organisations (IBOs), institutions that mediate between communities through the co-production of knowledge and social order. The framework is applied, through mixed methods, to negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on benefit-sharing for Digital Sequence Information (DSI), to examine how divergences emerge, are mediated and negotiated within an IBO. The empirical chapters conceptualise DSI as a boundary object whose interpretive flexibility enables coordination across divergent communities, and trace its emergence and dynamics via documentary and bibliometric analysis. Subsequent chapters use participant observation and 35 interviews to show that divergences in knowledge and values surface through the provision of a deliberative forum, and are shaped by uneven knowledge politics. Mediation occurs not through deliberative consensus, but through layered accessibility, the use of DSI as a strategic boundary object, and broader organisational dynamics, producing anticipatory responses in the wider knowledge control regime. Findings identify dilemmas that IBOs must navigate, including balancing broad participation with focused consensus building, and leveraging strategic ambiguity while anticipating the need for an eventual definition of DSI, each shaped by formal and informal institutional processes. Despite these tensions, IBOs remain imperfect yet essential venues for deliberation on STI, enabling stakeholders to articulate concerns, negotiate conflicts, and shape governance regimes. Accordingly, the thesis recommends reflexive and anticipatory workshops focused on the identified dynamics and dilemmas, together with capacity building for policy-relevant knowledge production on DSI. It makes three contributions. It proposes the KGI analytical framework, demonstrates its empirical utility, and offers practical insights for international STI governance. 

Date of Award	12 Aug 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Philip Shapira (Main Supervisor) & Kieron Flanagan (Co Supervisor)