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Abstract

This study's objective is to assess the influence of epistemic communities on grassroots movements. The case study uses the Meinung anti-dam movement in Taiwan as an example of a grassroots movement and a network of sustainable water resource experts as an example of an epistemic community. A mixed-method qualitative approach consisting of interviews, literature reviews and content analyses determines that members of the epistemic community changed the anti-dam movement's platform and activities. The study concludes that in addition to their established role as networks that shape and coordinate the policy preferences of decision-makers, epistemic communities play a broader role in policy processes by strengthening locally-based movements.