Analysing the epistemic consensus of fisheries co-management systems as a formula for democratic innovation and open government

Abstract

This research conducts a bibliometric analysis of the term “co-management” in scientific studies published between 1969 and 2021, indexed in the Scopus database. It identifies epistemic consensus, encompassing highly cited works, communities of practice (countries, researchers, and institutions), and theoretical foundations (exemplary narratives and the top ten narratives that explicitly reference the term at the title semantic level).The mixed-methods approach employed a semi systematic algorithm and analyzed 1078 references, demonstrating a significant connection between co-management and its institutionalization in the governance of common goods. The findings highlight its expansion to nearly 100 countries, high interdisciplinarity, epistemological advancements in fisheries co-management cases, and the role of Marine Policy journal as the leading platform for disseminating studies with explicit titles on co-management. Normative attributes (learning processes), epistemic frameworks (interconnected thematic lines), and key authors are analysed, positioning co-management as an interdisciplinary tool for cultural adaptation, collaborative decision-making, open government, co-governance and democratic governance and innovation. As an example of an ideal type among other cases, the term's development is illustrated through the institutionalized co-management system implemented by the fishing community of Lira, 'Os Miñarzos,' in Galicia (NW Spain). Ultimately, this work offers an interpretative model for public decision-makers, researchers, stakeholders, disseminators. Its approach provides a path for the informed analysis of research topics, the systematisation of key information with which to improve decision-making processes and the dissemination of the current state of scientific knowledge.