Redefining meritocracy: expert power and authority in the technical institutions of global governance

This article contributes to understanding of the role of expertise in global governance by examining the procedures for expert appointment in transnational, multi-stakeholder institutions that operate in specialised technical domains. It argues that applying conventional accountability standards to this type of institutions is misleading, as this may inadvertently grant them greater rulemaking authority rather than restrain it. Instead, this article emphasises the role of these institutions in insulating value-laden discussions from political pressures, proposing that they preserve an ‘epistemic filter’ by imposing obligations of duty on experts rather than obligations of outcomes. Engaging with the concept of meritocracy, this article highlights how such ‘inwards accountability’ shapes expert governance, contributing to the discussion on legitimacy of expert institutions. By analysing leadership appointment procedures in ITU, JTC1 SC42 and Codex Allimentarius Commission, it finds that while geographic representation often dominates, expertise in organisational and subject-specific knowledge also matters, though not always decisively.