Banda, Enric and Sanz-Menéndez, Luis (2026) Independent Advice in Research and Innovation Policy: The Role of the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (CACTI). fteval Journal for Research and Technology Policy Evaluation (58). pp. 56-81. ISSN 1726-6629
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract (english)
This article analyses the trajectory of the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (CACTI) as a central component of the national science, technology, innovation policy system. It examines how institutional design shapes the integration of expertise into policymaking within a continental administrative tradition marked by strong bureaucratic dominance and limited policy evaluation practices. Between 1986 and 2011, the Advisory Council operated as a hybrid body integrating external stakeholders, experts and senior public officials, which facilitated proximity to decision-making but did not generate a strong evaluation culture. The 2011 reform transformed it into an autonomous and formally independent body composed exclusively of external members. While this change aligned with prevailing European practices of independent advice, it weakened institutional embeddedness and reduced its effective influence on policy design. The Spanish case illustrates a broader governance dilemma: independence alone does not guarantee advisory impact. In administrative systems where bureaucrats play a central advisory role, effectiveness depends on sustained institutional linkages, political demand and integration into the policy cycle. Persistent weaknesses in policy valuation, fragmented multilevel coordination and rhetorical Europeanisation without institutional consolidation further constrain advisory capacity. The article concludes that strengthening policy advisory systems requires not merely autonomy but effective articulation between expertise, bureaucracy and political decision-making. The Spanish experience offers comparative lessons for countries adapting international advisory models to domestic administrative traditions.
| Subjects: | Policy, Fields & Systems Evaluation |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Institution without fteval membership |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | policy for science; scientific advice; research evaluation; policy advisory bodies; CACTI; science and innovation policies; Spain. |
| Identification Number: | 10.22163/fteval.2026.742 |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Jul 2026 15:22 |
| URI: | https://repository.fteval.at/id/eprint/818 |
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