Boundary Spanners in Environmental Health

Boundary spanners are relevant actors in the context of knowledge transfer processes. They can be bridge-builders between science, politics, practice, and citizens in general. Boundary spanning is studied in various areas, e.g. economy, management, climate, sustainability, environment, and health. However, especially in the context of interconnected areas like environmental health, we have still less knowledge about the types and roles boundary spanners play. Our study tries to answer these questions by looking at boundary spanners in the context of environmental health policies in European countries. Based on data collected through expert surveys, interviews and document analysis in nine European countries which host partner institutions of the EU-financed research project MARKOPOLO, we are presenting first findings concerning the types of boundary spanners that exist in this field. The findings will show us how this specific policy area is organized and what kind of differences and similarities do exist in those actor-networks in the various countries. Based on this inductive and comparative approach we will gain insights on how knowledge transfer works in the area of environmental health.