Methods Regimes in Global Governance: The Politics of Evidence-Making in Global Health

Abstract This article opens up the blackbox through which evidence is selected and assessed in making of guidelines recommendations global governance, an exploration “methods regimes.” Methods regimes are a special kind sociomaterial arrangement, govern production validation knowledge, by establishing clear hierachy between alternative forms research designs. When such become inscribed processes they shape control what knowledge deemed valid thus relevant for policy. We shed light that mode operation relies on discourse procedurality, dispersed but powerful network epistemic operators, dense web infrastructures, methods constitute police “policy-relevant knowledge” governance. Through examination case “GRADE” (Grading Recommendations, Assessment, Development, Evaluation), standardized system evaluates grades quality health, we show its dominance has worked to effect empowering new cast methodologists, seen as more objective portable across domains, sidelining certain do not conform with own methodological criteria scientificity, “clinicalizing” medicine beyond.