Doubts and beliefs in Norwegian environmental bureaucracy: On the world-views and thought styles of environmental experts

Professional expertise plays a decisive role in determining how government agencies interpret and act on national environmental policies. Through thei r perception of environmental reality and influence on the definition of th reats and problems, professional expertise will have and is expected to hav e - an authoritative impact on the way agencies understand national policie s and their strategies for problem-solution and action. However, the percep tions and attitudes of experts - what might be labelled their professional thought style or paradigm - will be influenced by the agencies' primary (hi storic) functions, professional dominance and organisational characteristic s that have developed over time. Environmental knowledge and expertise unfo ld within varying organisational contexts or cultures that are likely to ha ve important impacts on policy making and implementation. The article seeks to trace the worldviews and thought styles of environmental expertise in g overnment agencies as varied as nature conservation, regional planning, agr icultural counselling and the roads sector based on empirical material coll ected in a nation-wide questionnaire to respondents working within these se ctors as well as the core environment agencies.