Hierarchies of knowledge in climate governance: integrating gender equality in Nordic and Baltic climate policy

Gender equality and mainstreaming are important principles in the governance of Nordic, as well as Baltic institutions as national and regional commitments emphasise gender integration across policy domains. However, institutions are not homogenous entities but are comprised of individuals with different educational and professional backgrounds which may inform their epistemic orientation. Less attention has also been paid to the everyday practices and knowledge dynamics within institutions that shape the implementation of these commitments in the climate transition. Traditionally, climate policy has stemmed from a natural-scientific and technical perspective, and previous research indicates that climate institutions have privileged techno-economic priorities and knowledge in climate policy. How civil servants interpret and operationalise gender equality objectives in the climate transition may be affected by their educational backgrounds and knowledge but also by those knowledge domains which hold the epistemic privilege in climate governance. This paper explores the institutional and cultural factors which may reinforce or challenge epistemic privilege within the climate policy domain. With the main focus on national climate policy institutions in Nordic and Baltic countries, the paper combines a content analysis of the relevant policy-making documents (strategies, reports, regulations) with an analysis of semi-structured interviews of civil servants within the climate policy-making field. The paper investigates the relationship between formal policy frameworks and institutional practices, exploring how knowledge as well as the cooperation and coexistence of different knowledge domains shape the practical implementation of gender equality objectives in climate policy. Preliminary findings indicate that institutional capacity, institutional culture, and the knowledge interaction among different domains help shape what types of knowledge the institutions seek out, who they recruit in an advisory capacity, and how effectively this knowledge is then integrated into policy-making. Mentions of knowledge-based decision-making offer a way to study the slipping of neoliberalism and technocracy into gender equality ambitions as well as climate policy spheres, connecting policy-making to hierarchies of knowledge; what is prioritised and what is sidelined. Keywords: Policy-making, Gender equality, Nordic, Baltic, knowledge, climate transition