Abstract

This project explores the consequences of contestations of the liberal script within UNESCO and the OECD, with a particular focus on science ethics, especially bioethics and AI ethics). UNESCO and the OECD are the two key international organisations (IOs) actively involved in global science governance and the institutionalisation of science ethics —a domain increasingly contested by both state and societal actors. These contestations target not only the authority of UNESCO and OECD in global science governance, but also the epistemic foundations underpinning their governance models: its reliance on universalism, human rights, transparency, evidence-based rationality, and the privileged role of scientific experts. Drawing on political science and macro sociological perspectives, the project investigates the conditions under which such contestations affect institutional designs (polity), legitimacy claims and practices (politics), and policy outputs (standards in bioethics and AI ethics) in UNESCO and OECD. By systematically distinguishing between internal and external forms of contestation, as well as power differentials and polarisation of contestants, the project analyses when and how contestation leads to progressive re-articulations of liberal norms, regressive re-scripting, resistance, or outright de-scripting. In doing so, it contributes to broader debates on the consequences of contestation for the liberal script and its resilience under growing political and epistemic pressures.