"A Militia of Anarchists Run by a General". A Case of Scientific Policy Advice in Austria During the Pandemic

Vol.:(0123456789)
Mine a
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s11024-025-09572-4
“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase
o Scien i ic Policy Ad ice inAus ia Du ing
hePandemic
ThomasKönig1 · MichaelS amp e 2
Accep ed: 14 Janua y 2025
© The Au ho (s) 2025
Abs ac As many o he coun ies, Aus ia was hi by he Co ona pandemic by
su p ise. A e a swi ini ial esponse, he con inuing c isis laid ba e de iciencies.
This a icle in es iga es an uncon en ional in e en ion s a ing in Ma ch 2020: an
ad-hoc body se up by scien is s and policy make s in he un olding o he ini ial
Co ona c isis, wi hou o icial manda e and esou ces. The “Fu u e Ope a ions Pla -
o m” was an embodimen o he lack o science ad ice in as uc u e in Aus ia.
Ye he puzzle ha he a icle wan s o explain is: why did he pla o m emain a
place o delibe a ing scien i ic e idence in an in e - and ansdisciplina y manne o
h ee yea s? Th ee ac o s a e in es iga ed in de ail: he speci ici y o he Aus ian
ins i u ional landscape; he unc ioning o his pa ial o ganiza ion; and he mo i a -
ing ac o s o i s membe s. Based on his analysis, he a icle concludes wi h wha
can be lea ned abou policy s uc u es in Aus ia, and he ole o expe ise in (pos -)
pandemic socie ies.
Keywo ds Aus ia· COVID-19· E idence· Policy lea ning· Scien i ic policy
ad ice
“… Those who we e eady o pa icipa e in all en u es, wi hou e e asking
i i mean mo e o less wo k, i i we e an impo an o a i ial one, whe he
Supplemen a y In o ma ion The online e sion con ains supplemen a y ma e ial a ailable a
h ps:// doi. o g/ 10. 1007/ s11024- 025- 09572-4.
* Thomas König
k@ o wi .a
Michael S amp e
Michael.S amp [email p o ec ed]
1 Aus ian Council o Sciences, Technology, andInno a ion (FORWIT), Vienna, Aus ia
2 Vienna Science andTechnology Fund (WWTF), Vienna, Aus ia
T.König, M.S amp e
i would en ail majo consequences o jus endless ouble o hemsel es …”
(K opo kin 2002: 426) ( ansla ed by he au ho s)
Laying ou  hePuzzle
This pape looks a he c ea ion and con inued wo k o he “Fu u e Ope a ions
Pla o m” (FUOP, o “pla o m”) in Aus ia. Du ing he ensuing h ee yea s o he
COVID-19 pandemic, he pla o m p o ided a s uc u ed mee ing place o esea ch-
e s o mul iple disciplina y backg ounds as well as o policymake s om di e -
en o ganiza ions and agencies wi hin he ede al Aus ian s a e bu eauc acy. While
in o mal and wi hou any go e nmen manda e, i would u n ou o be a na ionally
impo an science-policy nexus. I was ini ia ed du ing he ini ial ou b eak o he
pandemic on he ini ia i e o one majo gene al Thomas S a linge , hen adju an o
he Aus ian A med Fo ces o he Aus ian Fede al P esiden and o me Minis e o
De ense. Bu why? And why exac ly a his poin o ime?
One ob ious answe o his ques ion would be o in e p e he ini ia i e as an ac
o despe a ion, poin ing o he lack o exis ing s uc u es o exchange ac oss dis-
ciplines and o ganiza ions. Ano he , maybe coun e in ui i e app oach would be o
in e p e he pla o m’s ounda ion as a cunning p oposi ion. The si ua ion o e ed
an oppo uni y o come o wa d wi h policy inno a ion. S a linge , he ins iga o ,
ce ainly saw i ha way. Showing ha some hing can be i s seen and hen done
in a di e en and supposedly be e way can ul ima ely ha e e ec s on i s social
en i onmen , maybe e en on he en i e sys em. In social heo y, his is known as
“con ingency opening” (“Kon ingenzö nung”) (Reckwi z 2021: 72–78).1 Hence he
bold i le o he new body, “Fu u e Ope a ions”, wi h u u e indica ing bo h a ocus
on p ojec ions and mid- e m pe spec i e and a s a emen ha his body was in ended
o s ay.
Founding he pla o m in ea ly Ma ch 2020 was an a emp o seize he momen .
Usually, any such ini ia i e de elops along one o wo possible pa hs: ei he i pe e s
ou as he imminen se e i y o he c isis cools down, o i is o mally manda ed.
Nei he did happen, howe e . The pla o m was no o malized, and con inued o
exis , none heless. Inc easingly, i exe ed a ce ain deg ee o in luence. In e o-
spec , FUOP was one o he ew places in Aus ia o s uc u ed policy-lea ning,
mid- e m hinking, in e - and ansdisciplina y exchange o e he whole COVID-19
pandemic.
Schola s ha e long been in e es ed in he sensi i e in e play be ween scien i ic
e idence and poli ical decision-making (Jasano 1994; Weinga 1999; Pielke, J
2007; Eyal 2019; Ba lösius and Ru ing 2021). B oadly, h ee s ands o e lec ions
can be disce ned. One s and conside s scien is s’ pe spec i es, including p ac ices
and i s hand insigh s in o how o bes p o ide scien i ic e idence o policymake s
(Gluckman 2014; Falk e al. 2019; Šucha and Sienkiewicz 2020). Ano he s and is
1 Reckwi z de ines i as “ o make he con ingency o a social gi en isible and con on i wi h o he
possibili ies” (73– ansla ed by he au ho s).
“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase o Scien i ic…
embedded in he b oade opic o policy lea ning (Saba ie 1988; May 1992; Dunlop
2017). Gi en ha decisions a he poli ical le el a e de e mined by di e en ac o s,
i asks, in e alia, o he ole o scien i ic expe ise and he condi ions unde which
i is conside ed (Dunlop and Radaelli 2013; Zaki and Wayenbe g 2021; Edle e al.
2022). The hi d s and conce ns he ques ion o igno ance and how s a e bu eauc a-
cies de e mine which social knowledge is ele an , and which is no (McGoey 2012;
Rayne 2012; Fou cade and Go don 2020; Boswell 2023).
While ollowing di e en objec i es, hese s ands encoun e he same empi ical
issue, namely, ha na ion s a es ha e di e en ins i u ional a angemen s o o ganize
he nexus be ween scien i ic expe ise and policy making. The pandemic was a s ess
es o hose ins i u ional a angemen s, s imula ing e ospec i e in lec ions and
e alua ions. Fo Aus ia, a numbe o s udies and publica ions in es iga e he ole
o scien i ic policy ad ice du ing he pandemic (König and S amp e 2021; Bog-
ne 2022; Bogne e al. 2023; Bogne and Bun uß 2023). This a icle complemen s
hose s udies and p o ides a e lec ion on he pla o m’s na u e and in luence. I also
o e s a de ailed insigh in o he peculia i ies o he Aus ian ins i u ional se up, and
in o he challenges o p o iding scien i ic e idence o policymaking.
Aus ia has no been he only na ion whe e an in o mal ga he ing o scien i ic
ad ice gained ac ion du ing he pandemic; he bes known is p obably he B i -
ish “independen Scien i ic Ad iso y G oup o Eme gencies” (Independen SAGE)
(McKee e al. 2022).2 And ye , he Aus ian pla o m’s peculia endu ance asks o
an explana ion. How could such an endu ing p esence be achie ed wi hou manda e,
spoils, o o mal embedding? Why did he pla o m emain a place a ac i e enough
o busy scien is s and policymake s o mee and exchange o e yea s? Du abili y is
he puzzle ha his pape aims o explain. To do so, i ollows a p agma ic app oach
(Bol anski and Thé eno 1999; G oss e al. 2022), ocusing on social p ac ices o
unde s and change and human agency wi hin complex social s uc u es (Scha zki
2001; Reckwi z 2003).
Social p ac ices ha e long been de e mined as a key analy ical elemen o con-
empo a y socie ies (Giddens 1984: 21–28). In u n, con empo a y socie ies a e
cha ac e ized, in e alia, by hei ( es ic ed) knowledge abou con ingencies o
cu en o de s, and by he no ma i e goal ha con ingency i sel shall be one o
hei majo con inuums (Reckwi z 2021: 72). Discou ses abou con ingency open-
ings (and closings) – and ensuing changes – appea o happen inc easingly on he
le el o p ac ices (and less h ough g and heo e ical o ideological designs), and
can e en be de ined as social p ac ices agains (o in de ense o ) exis ing dominan
se ings (Reckwi z 2021: 118). As a dis inc “p agma ic egime o engagemen ” ( ol-
lowing Thé eno 2001), one can ha dly o e es ima e he ole o scien i ic policy
ad ice in his espec , which is all abou p oposing possible openings o closu es o
2 The name was a delibe a e dig a he o icial ad iso y body o he B i ish go e nmen , which is called
SAGE (Bogne e al. 2023: 15–24).
T.König, M.S amp e
con ingencies.3 In he case o he pla o m, his means analyzing i s p ac ices as “a
se o o ganised sayings and doings” (Nicolini 2017: 23).
To explain he puzzle, his pape econs uc s he his o y o he pla o m, a
loosely o ganized ne wo k o expe s who sha e aci con ic ions as well as common
goals, as a egime o p ac ices ha “eme ges om … he associa ion o meaning,
skills and ools” (Nicolini 2017: 29).4 The analysis builds on h ee complemen a y
pe spec i es, s a ing wi h con ex : Chap e 2 p o ides a b ie his o y o he pla o m
agains he backd op o how he pandemic un olded in Aus ia and he logic o he
Aus ian (poli ical) ins i u ions. I is he con ex agains which he egime o p ac-
ices eme ges. Chap e 3 analyses he unc ioning ( he “doings”) o he pla o m as
a pa ial o ganiza ion. Chap e 4 disce ns he p og amma ic sel -unde s anding o
he pla o m om he expec a ions and expe iences o i s membe s as hey hem-
sel es s a e i ( he “sayings”). Chap e 5 b ie ly discusses he po en ial impac o he
pla o m.
The analysis elies on di e en da a se s. FUOP p oduced 18 epo s as Expe
Opinions (EO) be ween Augus 2020 and ea ly 2023; oge he wi h o he public
s a emen s, hey we e sys ema ically aken om he pla o m’s websi e. Full access
o a ailable documen s o he pla o m (o e 50 mee ing minu es and a la ge numbe
o p esen a ions) allowed o a de ailed pic u e o opics, p esen a ions, and discus-
sions. König and Cas ellucci (2023) p o ided u he insigh s and analyses in o he
pla o m documen s. In addi ion, wel e semi-s uc u ed expe in e iews (Bogne
e al. 2018) wi h membe s o he pla o m ook place in ea ly au umn 2023 ( o bo h
in e iews and mee ing documen s, see he annex on me hodology, elec onic sup-
plemen a y ma e ial).
The da ase s we e analyzed using con en analysis, aiming a ex apola ing bo h
dimensions o p ac ices men ioned abo e. As o he dimension o “doing”, ac ual
s a emen s we e ex apola ed and checked o accu acy and ele ance agains he
in o ma ion con ained in all he da a se s. As o he dimension o “saying”, implied
o explica ed meaning was econs uc ed h ough in e p e a i e analysis, in which
he au ho s collec i ely engaged – again sc u inizing p elimina y esul s wi h he
o e all body o in o ma ion om he da a se s. Whe e app op ia e, di ec quo es
om he in e iews we e used o emphasize he indings.
FUOP inCon ex
A hallma k o he Co id pandemic was i s longe i y; wi h e e y new wa e and mu a-
ion o he i us, i ans o med in o a social c isis. Al hough i was a global e en ,
ac ions o con ain he sp ead o he i us and o mi iga e he e ec s o hose ac ions
we e mos ly aken a a na ional le el. As esou ces, ins i u ional a angemen s, and
4 Nicolini calls his a “genealogical o ien a ion” (Nicolini 2017: 29). In he li e a u e, applying p ac ice
heo y o o ganiza ional analysis mo e b oadly is discussed o a while (Jagd 2011; Losche e al. 2019).
3 The s ong unc ion o esea ch(e s) o he nexus o p ac ice-o ien a ion and con ingency opening
ob ious ac has no been missed by schola s o p ac ice heo y (Nicolini 2017: 24; Reckwi z 2021: 132–
35).
“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase o Scien i ic…
legal and poli ical amewo ks we e une enly a ailable o di e en na ion s a es, he
pandemic played ou di e en ly in each coun y (G ee e al. 2021; Lynggaa d e al.
2023). To unde s and he con ex wi hin which he pla o m ac ed, i is ele an o
unde s and bo h i s connec ion o he pandemic as well as he speci ic Aus ian se -
ing o poli ical ins i u ions, and hei peculia logic.
Th ee Phases o  hePandemic
The pandemic in Aus ia o ms a ch onology o e en s ha esul ed om he in i-
ca e in e ac ion o di e en ac o s: The epidemiological de elopmen , he a emp s
by he go e nmen o slow down he sp ead o he i us, he public a i ude owa ds
hose a emp s, and he economic impac .5 Each o hese ac o s we e in e linked. A
i s , his ook place in nea ly comple e synch oniza ion. A e he i s wa e, how-
e e , each began o ake a somewha di e en ajec o y. Ul ima ely, hey go mo e
and mo e ou o sync, ending in disha mony. I is possible o disce n h ee phases
o he pandemic in Aus ia, ep esen ing he b oade his o ical con ex in which he
pla o m was de eloped.
The i s in ec ions o SARS-CoV-2 o igina ing om Aus ia we e epo ed on
27 Feb ua y 2020 (Hege and Moshamme 2020; K eidl e al. 2020; Mülle 2020).
Fou een days la e , gene al con ainmen measu es we e implemen ed (“lockdown”).
By hen, he disease had inc easingly become a opic o conce n among policy
make s as well as in he public; like mos Eu opean coun ies, Aus ia ell in o an
ini ial c isis mode. In Ap il, when he lockdown was li ed, Aus ia was seen as a
ole model: i had eac ed quickly, and swi ly, o he ou b eak o he i us, and had
implemen ed accompanying measu es ha we e well-p o en, such as a p og am o
sho - e m wo k (Czypionka e al. 2020; Jones 2020).
In la e summe 2020, i became clea ha he i us would e u n (and wi h a
engeance). E en hough expe s had wa ned abou i , ew p epa a ions seemed o
ha e been made o e he summe (Mä zke 2021). Thus, s ingency measu es ha
had been success ully se up in he sp ing we e in oduced again – and again. The
“hamme and dance” me apho (Pueyo 2020) los i s cha m quickly. Compliance
was wi he ing, and c i icism was ge ing loude – om hose opposing s ingency
measu es as well as om hose c i icizing he lack o poli ical lea ning (P andne
and Moosb ugge 2021). The second phase, mos ly cha ac e ized by g owing dis-
sen and diso ien a ion, las ed app oxima ely un il all 2021. While a ew impo an
new ools we e in oduced o compile, con ol, and con ain he sp ead o he i us
(such as he usage o masks, es ing capaci ies, and a accina ion p og am), he go -
e nmen was inc easingly ound g appling wi h implemen ing hese e ec i ely. The
esul was a zig-zag cou se o lockdowns, hen p omises o opening and e u ning o
be e imes (Fallend and Miklin 2023).
5 A comp ehensi e and poli ically neu al depic ion o he pandemic in Aus ia is p o ided by a se ies o
blog en ies accompanying he Aus ian Co ona Panel P ojec (Pollak e al. 2020a; Pollak e al. 2020b;
Pollak e al. 2020c; Pollak e al. 2021a; Pollak e al. 2021b; Pollak e al. 2021c; Walche be ge e al.
2022; Walche be ge e al. 2023)

T.König, M.S amp e
In la e 2021, wo momen ous e en s ook place. One was he ea ly esigna ion
o Sebas ian Ku z as head o he go e nmen . In all likelihood, i had an addi ion-
ally debili a ing e ec on he go e nmen ’s capaci y o coo dina e. The o he was
a huddled and c ude poli ical comp omise including a accina ion manda e. While
ne e implemen ed, i “ u he unde mined public us in heal hca e policies and
agg a a ed he pola ized public sen imen ” (Mülle 2022: 814). Du ing his inal
phase, when he Del a a ian , and la e he Omic on a ian s aged, Co id poli ics
seemed o go aw y. Public discon en eached new heigh s, while he go e nmen
main ained con inuously high le els o s ingency measu es – also in compa ison o
neighbo ing coun ies (Schönbe ge 2024).6 Only in Ma ch 2023 we e he las con-
ainmen measu es wi hd awn.
The h ee phases (see Table1) se e as he backg ound o summa ize he his-
o y o he pla o m, as old in he in e iews and in e p e ed om he minu es.
The i s mee ings in ea ly Ma ch 2020 ook place in ee ie con e ence ooms wi hin
dese ed o ice buildings, wi h s iped plas ic bands e e ywhe e o keep people a a
dis ance, as se e al in e iewees i idly ecoun (IP 1, IP 3, IP 4). The mee ing min-
u es e lec a sense o sombe sob ie y. P esen a ions we e na ow in e ms o opics,
and mos ly discipline ela ed. The ini ial emphasis was on essen ial supplies such as
ood, howe e , his b oadened o encompass “ aluable con ex know-how” (IP7) on
epidemiological de elopmen , economic, social, and heal h- ela ed issues, as well as
speci ic ulne able g oups. Much ime was spen on se ing up he pla o m, while
in pa allel he b oad skill se s o he pa icipan s om o e en disciplines and back-
g ounds allowed o cons an delibe a ion, explo ing po en ial ools o he pla o m.
P obably he pla o m’s mos impo an achie emen in phase one was o con inue
i s ope a ion in o all. F om hen onwa ds, i was be e p epa ed o mee eme ging
challenges om he p olonging pandemic. The expe s we e now o ganized in wo k-
ing g oups (WGs) discussing a ious opics, including a ian s, he sp ead o he
i us, and p essu e on hospi als, schools, o companies; egula mee ings allowed
pa icipan s o discuss new indings and da a. The pla o m inc easingly eached a
common unde s anding how o ame and concep ualize he epidemiological de el-
opmen s and wha would be equi ed o coun e hem.
In phase h ee, he pla o m ou inely issued p oposals o p o ide p ojec ions and
a mid- e m pe spec i e. A he same ime, as public a en ion began o shi and pan-
demic a igue was se ing in, pa icipa ion was slowly declining. FUOP was ied o
he pandemic: he pla o m could no b anch ou success ully o o he opics, such as
geopoli ics. I was du able only as long as he pandemic was p esen as a social and
poli ical eali y.
Con en ional Ways
Indus ialized coun ies, such as Aus ia, ha e de eloped a dis inc landscape o
bodies ha in e ac be ween science and adminis a ion, known as “bounda y o gan-
iza ions” (B aun 1993; Gus on 2000). In p inciple, he Aus ian go e nmen could
6 This analysis is con i med by ou own compu a ion (based on da a p o ided by Phillips and Majumda
2023).
“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase o Scien i ic…
ely on se e al such o ganiza ions (Reiss and Czypionka 2022; Bogne e al. 2023:
36–46). Ye he pandemic e ealed a pain ul eali y o ei he de unc o me ely
sho sigh ed o ganiza ions. One gla ing example is he Obe s e Sani ä s a (Chie
Medical Council, OSR), which, du ing he i s 12 mon hs o he ou b eak, emained
ou o ope a ions.7 Ano he was he SKKM (S aa liches K isen- und Ka as ophen-
managemen , Na ional C isis and Disas e Managemen ), which was in ol ed in
coo dina ing daily go e nmen esponses bu was no manda ed o p o ide a mid-
e m iew.
In addi ion, se e al a emp s o se up new o mal ad iso y bodies we e made
du ing he pandemic (see Table 2). In la e 2021, he Gesam s aa liche COVID-
K isenkoo dina ion (GECKO) was in oduced. Hailed as he solu ion by he ime
o i s c ea ion, i p o ed o be iddled again wi h he p oblems o i s p edecesso s.
Namely, he inabili y o dis inguish be ween ac s and in e es s, be ween ad ice and
con ol, and be ween sho - and medium- e m issues.8
Table 1 Phases o he Co id pandemic in Aus ia
Du a ion Epide-
mio-
logical
de elop-
men
Poli ical eac ion Social a i udes
Phase 1 Feb – Aug.
2020
Fi s
wa e
Quick and ha d eac ion;
i s lockdown; quick e-
opening; s ong message
con ol
Rallying a ound he lag;
high compliance
Phase 2 Sep . 2020 –
No . 2021
Second
and
hi d
wa e
Zig-zag cou se: wo mo e
consecu i e lockdowns;
mask manda e; ac-
cina ion campaign;
egionaliza ion; change in
go e nmen
Dec ease o compliance; ac-
cina ion doub
Phase 3 Dec. 2021 –
Jan. 2023
Del a
wa e,
Omik-
on
wa e
Fou h lockdown and ac-
cina ion manda e; i h
lockdown
Pandemic a igue; pola i-
za ion; an i- accina ion
demons a ions
7 In 2019, he ca e ake go e nmen had e used o enomina e he membe s o he council because
o conce ns ega ding democ a ic accoun abili y. The council was e-es ablished only in Ma ch 2021,
be aying he s a emen o he Minis e o Heal h who called he OSR “his mos impo an ad iso y
body” (ORF 2021).
8 As a gued by one in e iew pa ne (IP3) and now also e ealed in he o icial GECKO accolade,
which – a e pages o p aise – ecommends o u u e policy ad iso y boa ds o “a oid he imp ession
ha scien i ic expe ise is being subjec ed o a kind o p ac icabili y es based on special in e es poli-
ics” (Rakowsky e al. 2023: 55) (own ansla ion).
T.König, M.S amp e
The di icul y in se ing up p ope scien i ic ad ice mechanisms canno be blamed
on poli ical u moil alone, al hough, o be ai , i migh ha e had a pa in i .9 Ra he ,
speci ic s uc u al ea u es o he Aus ian ins i u ional landscape need o be consid-
e ed. One is he neo-co po a is o ma ion o he s a e (Ka zens ein 1987: 34–83).
So-called social pa ne s (Sozialpa ne ) o ganized along chambe s wi h compul-
so y membe ship domina e many poli ical spaces: Comme ce, labo , MDs, pha ma-
cis s, lawye s, and mo e, wi h p i ileges, co-decision igh s, and pa y en anglemen
(Ennse -Jedenas ik 2017; Hin e see 2020). In heal h policy, speci ically, hei in lu-
ence is high, no leas because hey con ol public social and heal h insu ance p o-
ide s and hei da a.10
Secondly, Aus ia is also a consensus democ acy wi h a ela i ely compa men-
alized ede al sys em (Lu he and Mülle 1992; Lijpha 2012). While he ede al
le el bea s he b un o s a e obliga ions, including ax collec ion, many admin-
is a i e asks a e delega ed o he p o incial le el (Lände ). In he Realpoli ik o
Aus ia, his has led o a powe ul s a us o he p o incial go e nmen s, pa icula ly
h ough he in o mal con e ence o p o incial go e no s (Landeshaup leu ekon e -
enz) (Bußjäge and Elle 2023), wi h policy ields like heal h o educa ion being a
maze o cons i u ional co-decision igh s be ween bo h le els.
A hi d ea u e is ha he bu eauc acy o o en siloed minis ies is d i ing poli-
cymaking a he han he legisla i e b anch(Kon a h 2020). Fu he mo e, he min-
is ies’ highe anks ha e been poli icized in he las decades, which a o ed poli ical
candida es o e subjec ma e expe s (G a z 2020; Wiese 2022). The s a e bu eau-
c acy is accompanied by public agencies ha a e o en wi hou much leeway, and
he same is ue o he in pa weak public heal h esea ch in as uc u es.
Aus ia is no alone wi h con lic ing in e es s and e o playe s a di e en le els
o he policy p ocess. Ye hose s uc u al ea u es seem o ha e pa icula ly debili-
a ing e ec s on scien i ic ad ice. Also, poli ical leade ship appea s o be p one o
ocus on sho - e mism, close ela ionships wi h media ou le s (Ballu e al. 2023)
and, a imes, s ic “message con ol” (Fleischmann 2022). O e all, he Aus ian
poli ical sys em appea s o be a he same ime a he igid and a he sho - e m
o ien a ed, wi h ew eliable senso s o knowledge p oduc ion.11
Ini ially, ac ing ou side con en ional ways was seen as a weakness o FUOP. Du -
ing he i s phase o he pandemic, conside able ene gy was in es ed o o malize
he pla o m as pa o he o icial ad iso y s uc u es. One a emp , in Ma ch and
10 As has been no ed in one o ou in e iews, his se ing di e s om o he coun ies like U.K., bu also
om Ge many (IP10).
11 A compa a i e epo on heal h secu i y and p epa edness owa ds a pandemic in 2019 (!) had ound
ha , when i came o coo dina ion, o esigh , and s a egy, Aus ia did no a e all oo well (Came on
e al. 2019).
9 Only a ew weeks be o e SARS-CoV-2 a i ed in Aus ia, a newly min ed go e nmen had been
ins alled. Headed by Sebas ian Ku z, a media-sa y poli ician, i elied on a a he unlikely coali ion o
wo pa ies, one o which – he Conse a i es – we e con inuously in powe o mo e han 30 yea s, he
o he one – he G eens – o he i s ime. Ku z had o s ep down emb oiled in scandal in la e 2021; by
hen, in e nal ic ions had al eady wo n down he i s minis e o heal h, a po olio held by he o he
pa y. The coali ion would emain in place, bu in o al, i saw h ee chancello s, h ee minis e s o heal h,
wo minis e s o labo and economics, and a eshu ling o compe encies along he way.
“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase o Scien i ic…
Ap il 2020, was o collec ques ions om minis ies, o con ince he go e nmen
o he pla o m’s use ulness. The e o ailed because he huge ques ions p o ided
we e impossible o answe in a sho ime. Ano he a emp was o join o ces wi h a
global consul ing i m in he sp ing o 2020. In e es ed in wha he esea ch commu-
ni y had o o e , he consul an s helped s uc u e wo k p ocesses and d aw compa i-
sons wi h o he coun ies. Howe e , p o bono wo k is no paying o o p o i -o i-
en ed consul ancies, and he collabo a ion las ed only a ew weeks. A hi d a emp
consis ed o di ec nego ia ions wi h heads o he Pa liamen , he Fede al Chancel-
le y, and he Heal h Minis y o a o mal manda e o ad ise on he un olding pan-
demic. I ul ima ely ailed because o a lack o in e es om hose ins i u ions.
The e o s we e no en i ely useless, howe e : s ong ies o he o icial p e-Co id
hink ank o he Fede al Chancelle y we e es ablished, wi h i s head An onella Mei-
Poch le joining Thomas S a linge ea ly on o ac as mode a o . Mo e gene ally,
hose a emp s helped o os e links wi h go e nmen adminis a o s, some o which
became egula a endees o pla o m mee ings. This allowed o linking FUOP wi h
poli ical decision make s, albei wi hou a manda e and a a m’s leng h.
“Doings” o aPa ial O ganiza ion
Among membe s o he pla o m, he e is s ill a ange o opinions abou wha should
ha e happened. Some speak o “a missed oppo uni y”, a guing ha “FUOP should
ha e become a SAGE, a scien i ic se ice o he Pa liamen o o go e nmen ”
(IP10). O he s see speci ic alue in he in o mal s a us: “… he au onomy ga e
us some hing special, e en g a i as, and independence in iews” (IP9). Wha e e
hei pe spec i e, membe s accep ed ha he pla o m would s ay a sel -o ganized
Table 2 Lis o ele an ad iso y s uc u es du ing COVID-19 in Aus ia, based on Bogne e al. (2023:
38)
Body Task Ad ising …
Task o ce (in o mal) COVID-19 (2020-21) Heal h minis y
Obe s e Sani ä s a ( o mal) Medical ad ice (pe -
manen )
Heal h minis y
GECKO ( o mal) COVID-19 (2021-23) Go e nmen
Fu u e ope a ions pla o m (in o -
mal)
COVID-19 (2020-23) All
COVID-P ognose-Konso ium
(semi- o mal)
COVID-19 (2020-23) Heal h minis y (la e : GECKO)
Co ona-Kommission ( o mal) COVID-19 (2021) Heal h minis y; p o incial go e nmen s
Na ionales Imp g emium ( o mal) Medical ad ice (pe -
manen )
Heal h minis y
Bioe hik-Kommission ( o mal) E hical ad ice (pe ma-
nen )
Go e nmen
SKKM ( o mal) C isis managemen
(pe manen )
Go e nmen
T.König, M.S amp e
posi i e il e e ec : “cu iosi y and c ea i i y” ma e ed (IP9). A he same ime, he
h eshold o pa icipa e in he pla o m was low: in line wi h he Aus ian academic
and adminis a i e cul u e, membe s did no equi e a o mal app o al om hei
hos ins i u ions.
“Sayings” o P ac ices
In e ospec , he in e iewees saw he pla o m as a unique expe ience. They high-
ligh iendliness, olun a y ac ion, openness, and willingness o lis en o and unde -
s and unknown communi ies and hei ja gon as ai s ha we e commonly sha ed.
Con lic s we e es ic ed o di e en iews on how o con ain he pandemic; hey
“ha dly e e boiled o e ” (IP8). All in e iewees cha ac e ize hei con ibu ions
o he pla o m as meaning ul. I seemed o ha e cas a mo i a ing a mosphe e by
es ablishing a egime o p ac ices ha consis ed o some p og amma ic gua d ails,
expe iences, and eme ging aci con ic ions.
Impe a i es o  heMission
The pla o m’s mission con ained h ee dis inc ye closely ela ed impe a i es:
in e - and ans-disciplina i y; e idence; and ans e o knowledge. This was how
he pla o m was supposed o ope a e, wha i was holding on o (and hoped o be
able o c ea e), and why i exis ed in he i s place – gi en ha adequa e s uc u es
we e missing when COVID-19 began. The mission was ensh ined in he minu es o
he i s mee ing, s a ing ha “[ ]his g oup o scien is s and adminis a o s will ac as
a clea ing boa d o help policymake s make e idence-based decisions in he ongo-
ing co ona i us pandemic.” (FUOP Mee ing Minu es, 26.3.2020, p.1) Simila ly, he
public mission s a emen s ipula ed he “… open exchange o esea ch esul s and
in o ma ion and a high-quali y expe discou se … exchange o up- o-da e in o ma-
ion, da a and analyses o po en ial ele ance o e idence-based policy ac ion …”
(FUOP 2023). Which ac ual p ac ices did hese impe a i es en ail? I is use ul o
look a how each o he h ee impe a i es was b ough o li e.
In e - and ansdisciplina i y: As a de aul mode o collabo a ion, he pla o m
claimed o b ing oge he scien is s om a ious ields and adminis a o s om
minis ies and agencies on an equal oo ing. Ini ially, howe e , his mode was
es ablished in a a he na ow sense, meaning ha mono-disciplina y inpu s a he
Clea ing Boa d mee ings we e discussed wi h expe s om di e en ields. A leas
hose inpu s quickly came om ep esen a i es o a wide ange o di e en disci-
plines. A mo e ansg essi e p ac ice was es ablished by he WGs, whe e de ac o
c oss-disciplina y lea ning en i onmen s we e being es ablished. Beginning wi h
he second phase, he mo e p oli ic o hose g oups s a ed o deli e join pape s
and s a emen s, combining knowledge and delibe a ions abou he heal h and he
social c ises s emming om he pandemic – a pace ha could also be upheld in he
hi d phase. In his way, he delibe a ions among he a ious disciplina y iewpoin s

“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase o Scien i ic…
came be o e he w i ing o any s a emen and helped membe s o gi e mo e bal-
anced media s a emen s.
E idence: The pla o m claimed – a he boldly – o ely on he bes a ailable
ac s and scien i ically sc u inized da a abou a ce ain issue, o be c ea ed in a
imely manne . Al eady, he ea lies mee ings o he Clea ing Boa d consis ed o
p esen a ions on how he ( i s ) lockdown impac ed beha io (mobili y, consump-
ion), supply chains, and how o he coun ies o ganized hei e o s. Ambi iously,
“ igge poin s” o a pa ial e-opening om he lockdown should be iden i ied
(FUOP Mee ing Minu es, 3.4.2020, p.6), and i was o be calcula ed un il when a
lockdown would be economically a o dable (FUOP Mee ing Minu es, 16.4.2020,
p.4.). None o hese p ojec ion exe cises we e ealized du ing phase one o he
pandemic. B inging oge he da a poin s was accomplished success ully only om
phase wo onwa ds: Sequencing capaci ies, sewage moni o ing da a, school su eys,
a ious economic dashboa ds, panel su eys on policy compliance, s a e subsidies,
su eys on men al heal h ne wo ks and o he ulne able g oups, and mo e.15 I was
in phase h ee, when hese di e en sou ces o e idence could be aligned in mo e
sophis ica ed analyses and o ecas s (Ba hke e al. 2021a, b).
T ans e o knowledge: The pla o m had he ambi ion o p esen analyses and
indings o policymake s a hei disc e ion in decision-making, bu his o en p o ed
di icul o accomplish. In he i s phase o he pandemic, domina ing channels con-
sis ed o a he in o mal and eac i e ans e and communica ion modes. In addi-
ion, he wo mode a o s ac ed as occasional ans e agen s (IP11, IP12) o deli e
opinions and esul s om he pla o m o op poli icians and adminis a o s, and
back. While hese means con inued o exis , hey we e soon pe cei ed as inadequa e.
Ins ead, he pla o m would u n o a mo e in e ac i e app oach, and o he lines o
communica ion we e explo ed. F om he second phase onwa ds, he EOs we e es ab-
lished as he mos impo an communica ion ool, bo h wi hin he pla o m ( o coo -
dina e join posi ions) and o he public (e en hough hei up ake emained mixed).
In he hi d phase, he pla o m b anched ou , wi h an in e na ional con e ence in
May 2022 (“Science o Resilience”), and s uc u ed collabo a ion wi h o he ac o s
as well as mo e ac i e media wo k.
The s a ed mission aised di e en expec a ions amongs pla o m membe s. One
is conce ned abou wha he g oup would po en ially lea n as a collec i e abou he
pandemic. Namely ha he collabo a ion wi hin he pla o m would lead o a mo e
comp ehensi e g asp o he dynamics o he pandemic, and ha i s in e -disciplina y
mode and he ocus on e idence would yield explana ions supe io o hose om
indi idual pe spec i es. The membe s o he pla o m we e ou o “see he big pic-
u e” (IP8). Ideally, he comp ehensi e and de ailed analysis p o ided by he expe s
in he pla o m would also esul in be e decision-making.
15 Less han wo mon hs a e he s a o he pla o m, hose opics we e p esen ed o he i s ime
(FUOP Mee ing Minu es, 30.4.2020, p.4). Da a came om di e se sou ces, dedica ed su eys and ad hoc
o icial collec ions like anonymized mo emen pa e ns om mobile ope a o s, c edi ca d paymen s o
c oss-bo de uck passages, as well as economic da a om S a is ics Aus ia and he Aus ian Na ional
Bank.
T.König, M.S amp e
The e was also a pe sonal gain expec ed by indi idual membe s om pa icipa -
ing in he pla o m, and ha was access. Fo some, his no ion e e ed o he pla -
o m and he wide a ay o di e en expe s, i s nuanced and widesp ead pool o
knowledge. Fo o he s, i mean a way o ob ain da a se s o he wise hidden o inac-
cessible o analysis and modeling; o o he s s ill i mean , qui e li e ally, access o
policymake s and ans e oppo uni ies. Fo mos , p obably, he a ac ion o he
pla o m was a mix u e o all h ee.
Expe iences
Pla o m membe s s ongly el ha he pla o m’s collabo a i e se up was a emedy
agains he pe ils o g asping and explaining he pandemic solely om one disci-
plina y poin o iew. As one in e iew pa ne poin ed ou , “i mono-disciplina y
expe ise is challenged, i makes academics a he same ime clueless polyma hs and
na ow expe s” (IP11). The pla o m managed o achie e “o e ime, inc easingly,
longe sho s” (IP4). Howe e , as much as a be e unde s anding o he pandemic
and i s dynamics was seen as ul illed, his was no always ecognized among poli-
cymake s. The ole o FUOP was no on he on s age, and o en, i was mu ed:
“The decisions ha e been aken elsewhe e, wha e e ou ini ia i es and con ibu-
ions” (IP9).
The e o e, he expec a ions abou access we e also me only pa ly. Regula access,
namely o expe s wi h di e en disciplina y backg ounds, bu also o ci il se an s
wi hin FUOP, was seen as an ad an age. The high numbe and a ie y o p esen a-
ions, o en by ex e nal speake s, p o ided an e icien means o ha es e idence o
in o ma ion ans e , while c oss-disciplina y discussions made he e idence aluable
(IP4). The channels o he le el o decision-make s we e a ied, some imes sca e ed,
and he ole o he pla o m as a ga eway o mo e da a emained small. As o access
o policymake s, he pla o m included membe s wi h execu i e unc ions in minis-
ies and public agencies including public heal h, who epo ed in hei o ganiza ions
wha hey lea ned o used i (IP12).Being in o mally close o some minis ies was seen
as help ul by some (IP5, IP6). S uc u ed access o he highes echelons happened in
excep ional cases, e.g., one p esen a ion o he Fede al Chancello (FUOP Mee ing
Minu es, 2.7.2020, p.1) and a ious mee ings wi h he op b ass o minis ies.
The mission cons i u ed an impo an ing edien in he pla o m’s cohesi e
powe , no leas because i c ea ed ini ial expec a ions by i s membe s. Ye mission
s a emen s a e wo hless i hey a e no ul illed by p ac ice; in his sec ion, i means
he se o p ac ices, mos ly in saying, ha p o ided meaning o he ou ines o col-
labo a i e ac ion, seen h ough he p ac ical expe iences made by membe s du ing
hei collabo a ion. As one o he in e iewees indica es: “[The pla o m] opened up
comple ely new pe spec i es” (IP6). These expe iences can be analy ically deline-
a ed along wo dimensions: unde s anding he pandemic as a social c isis and he
pla o m’s ole as an ins iga o ou side he no m.
In e iew pa ne s unanimously s essed ha hey expe ienced he pla o m as
he p emie place in Aus ia o gain a comp ehensi e and nuanced unde s anding o
“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase o Scien i ic…
he pandemic. The ui ul “dialec ics be ween he na u al/ o mal sciences and hei
‘mus be done’ app oach and he social/heal h scien is s and hei ‘how o implemen
i in a socie al con ex ’ conce n” was emphasized (IP8). Th ough c oss-disciplina y
discussions, ad an ages included speed, a ie y, new con ac s, openness, and us
(IP3). In e iewees poin o panel s udies (IP8, IP10) and he ac i e ec ui men
o esea che s unning su eys o mo e nuanced e idence (IP6). The capaci y o
gain an o e all pic u e was pa icula ly aluable in hose pe iods o he pandemic,
when e e y hing – poli ical goals, measu es, solu ions, COVID a ian s, e idence,
and s ock o knowledge – appea ed o shi simul aneously. The pla o m con inued
assessing cu en de elopmen s in he educa ion sys em, he employmen si ua ion
unde egula ions es ic ing social con ac s, economic h ea s, and sagging compli-
ance, and how he pandemic disp opo iona ely a ec ed ulne able g oups. When
economis s p esen ed hei espec i e economic o ecas s, he ela ionship be ween
economic de elopmen and (p ospec i e) accina ion a e, in la ion, and unemploy-
men we e discussed (FUOP Mee ing Minu es, 17.12.2020).
As a esul o hese exe cises, he pandemic was inc easingly unde s ood as a
social c isis. While FUOP mee ings emained open o di e en opics, om ecol-
ogy o geopoli ics, om accina ion o economic measu es, he social allou om
he pandemic would become he o e a ching opic: how o main ain o e all social
s abili y and economic p ospe i y, and, a he same ime, delibe a ely paying a en ion
o g oups ha we e ei he less p io i ized by he go e nmen , o he o ically p io -
i ized bu no deli e ed, o s uck in he limbos o he neo-co po a is , ede al Aus ian
policy sys em. Salien examples we e schools and ulne able g oups, be i psychia ic
pa ien s, mig an s, poo e amilies o single pa en s wi h schoolchild en, ch onically
ill people, bu also owne s o small shops o blue-colla wo ke s in exposed indus ial
sec o s. While some pape s and FUOP discussions ied o ans e esul s ega ding
measu es o p o ec ulne able g oups, o he EOs and delibe a ions discussed open-
ing s a egies ha would a oid u he hu ing hose g oups.16
The ins iga o ole o he pla o m was pe cei ed as a so o labo a o y o o gan-
ize c oss-disciplina y en i onmen s (p ima ily h ough he WGs), wi h “a unique
in e - and ans-disciplina y g oup ying o be o socie al ele ance wi h g ea
pa ience and con inui y” (IP8). FUOP became a sa e oom o espec ul discou se
and an oppo uni y o sel -enac men , con olled by a g oup o c i ical companions.
“Bounda ies ha e become luid” (IP10). Deba es ac oss disciplines we e necessa y
p e equisi es o publishing join EOs, and o he enhanced abili y o he expe s o
alk o poli ics, media, colleagues, o he public – a capaci y ha e en hose lea ned
o enjoy who ini ially had no sough such exposu e (IP11).
Wi h he pla o m no in he posi ion o o mally become a playe in he ins i u ional
landscape o policy ad ice, i s membe s eso ed o a di e en ac ic. Gi en ha knowl-
edge ans e was s ill seen as necessa y, i became a o um o in o mal exchange and
knowledge upda e, some imes he de elopmen o new knowledge – o ins iga e o he s
and o shed ligh on opics ha we e usually no discussed in ela ion o he pandemic.
16 A special ins ances, e idence was useless: “We ne e discussed abou e idence o manda o y ac-
cina ions, as we all knew ha such an in e en ion in Aus ia would be useless and ail.” (IP6). And ail
i did.
T.König, M.S amp e
The e a e se e al examples, such as he ea ly pape on schools (Hol g ewe e al. 2021),
and ea ly con ibu ions o he impac o Co id- ela ed es ic ions on he wo kplace
(Ko unka e  al. 2020) as well as issues ega ding accina ion compliance (Ki chle
e al. 2020). In a simila ashion, he pape on pola iza ion (Gangl e al. 2022) appea ed
o ha e p imed he go e nmen ’s ini ia i e o assess he pandemic o e all (De S anda d
2023). One pa icula ly nagging cons ain conce ned c ea ing and edi ing e idence o
he impac o he pandemic. Dealing wi h ac s and numbe s was, o cou se, he co e
compe ence o he scien is s, ye he basic subs ance – da a – was no always a ailable,
o eliable. Agenda se ing ia EOs was impo an inso a as hey cha ed he (seem-
ingly endless) sea o piecemeal and con es ing e idence (IP10).
The pla o m was pe cei ed as a place “ou side o he usual” (IP2). As ano he
in e iewee poin edly s a ed, i ac ed like “a mili ia o ana chis s un by a gene al”
(IP8). The in e iewees epo s ong la e al ans e o knowledge among esea ch-
e s, bypassing placid and cau ious academic hie a chies (IP11). Nobody had o
de end hei s akes; he e was no need o showcase one’s epu a ion, ank, o com-
pe ence. As one pa icipan explained, “We could speak mo e eely ou side he
eminence base o academic hie a chy idden wi h all hei conce ns” (IP11). Public
se an s, oo, conside ed he ime in he pla o m was well spen , since “we no -
mally do no ha e enough ime o analysis and b oade discussion” (IP12). Some
pe cei ed FUOP as a meaning ul su oga e o widely missing s a egic, cu a ed
hi d mission ac i i ies by uni e si ies (IP8, IP10).17 Pu ing he esponsibili y o
hi d mission on indi idual shoulde s wi hou p o iding ins i u ional esou ces o
once a leas happened in a s uc u ed and solida y o m.
Taci Con ic ions
The p ac ical expe iences o he collabo a i e wo k du ing he pandemic c ea ed
a posi i e a i ude among i s membe s: “I ha e ne e be o e lea ned ha much
ha quickly” (IP10). Lea ning in ol ed di e en aspec s: om me hodological
p og ess “I ha e lea ned how he o he disciplines design su eys” (IP6) o build-
ing up na ional c oss-disciplina y bonds and, om he e on, designing new ini ia-
i es (IP6). In e es ingly, he la e was emphasized by expe s wi h al eady s ong
in e na ional disciplina y coope a ion ne wo ks. E en mo e signi ican ly, a se o
aci con ic ions abou he need o he pla o m, i s basic ope a i e unc ioning,
and he app oach owa ds he pandemic seems o ha e o med.
Membe s emained con inced ha he pla o m was a meaning ul ins umen
wi h indi idual con ibu ions when i came o s abilizing he cohesion o Aus-
ian socie y du ing he pandemic. Somewha i onically, his ansla ed in o wo
simul aneous o ms o opening con ingencies. One was o hink ou o he box
o en enched adminis a i e solu ions and alleged inhe en necessi ies, o open
new a enues. Ins ead o le ing poli ical p e e ences and ins i u ional cons ain s
dic a e he eac ion o he pandemic, i s mo i a ion was he o he way ound:
17 The no ion o hi d mission is no o iously ambiguous, and he e is almos no li e a u e on i s imple-
men a ion in Aus ia (Fo an in oduc ion, see he in o ma i e Wo king Pape by Lassnigg e al. 2017). In
he con ex o his a icle, he ocus is on he non-comme cial aspec s o hi d mission.
“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase o Scien i ic…
wha e e means and ins umen s we e needed o manage he pandemic should
dic a e policymaking and he beha io o public adminis a ion.
Consequen ly, he o he opening conce ned he bes app oach owa ds manag-
ing he pandemic. I would ha e o be a cau ious opening – ha is, no o le he
i us loa eely, bu also no o make oo s ingen es ic ions on he way. The
ca ea was o use hose es ic i e measu es ha we e minimally in asi e, om
wea ing ace masks o no public ga he ings (IP4). Tha implies a e ing he neces-
si y o oo many o oo long lockdowns by making adap a ions in in as uc u e
as well as in daily beha io , by being s ic e wi h less in usi e measu es. Se e al
EOs a gued o his cau ious app oach (Fasching e al. 2021b; Schmid e al. 2021;
Foi ik e al. 2022; Ba hke e al. 2023). I also equi es ensu ing obus and con-
inuous moni o ing, which, as has been s essed se e al imes in he in e iews,
equi es ha da a se s and ime se ies a e collec ed and made a ailable (IP4, IP9).
These con ic ions we e s ongly sha ed by membe s o he pla o m; hey also p o-
ided eason o qui o o he s who e en ually s opped con ibu ing. Fo hose who
emained, common d i e s we e o b ing e idence om a ious ields o unde s and
he wild and mul i- ace ed dynamics o he Co id pandemic (and no o gi e in o he
lu e o conspi acy heo ies). Sha ed ai s also included a posi i e iew o he ole
o science and knowledge wi hin and ac oss disciplina y bounda ies. Fu he mo e,
a posi i e iew on p oducing and using e idence o policy while a he same ime
unde s anding he some imes-shaky g ound o he di e se o ms o e idence, coupled
wi h he wish o indi idually engage in a g oup wi h mixed expe ise.
In he con ex o a igh ly kni and ye somewha h eadba e Aus ian ins i u-
ional se up wi h eady-made solu ions on he shel , FUOP had a kind o con ende
and ou side ole. Howe e , he lis o i s membe s included many high- anked,
well-paid, espec ed academics and public sec o manage s. Wi hou such ambigu-
i y, i migh be a gued, i would ha e been di icul o achie e common g ound in
imes o c isis and o inse a leas pa o he indings in o he some imes so and
opaque, some imes igid and un o gi ing Aus ian policy sys em.
Impac s
The pla o m was ounded wi h he ambi ion o opening new a enues o in e discipli-
na y collabo a ion o unde s and he impac o he pandemic, as well as co-designing
esponses o ha c isis. In ha sense, i was a delibe a e ac o con ingency opening.
Which con ingen oppo uni ies o change did FUOP open, and which impac s migh
he pla o m ha e achie ed? FUOP i sel can be cha ac e ized by he knowledge o
i s membe s abou he con ingencies o cu en o de s. As in e iews and minu es
show, ha pe cep ion was he main d i e o assemble and do he sel -o ganized p o
bono wo k o e a ew yea s in g ea du abili y. Fu he , we ind he sha ed no ma i e
goal ha con ingency i sel shall be one o he majo con inuums (on all le els, wi hin
FUOP, in he pandemic c isis, bu also o some Aus ian policy se ings beyond
COVID). This iew becomes e iden h ough he ac ions o he pla o m, i.e., he EO,
and hei na a i e, i.e., he minu es and in e iews, o he pla o m.

T.König, M.S amp e
Tha he pla o m made a di e ence was belie ed by i s membe s, o else hey
would no ha e con inued o pa icipa e in i s ac i i ies. Howe e , impac s a e di i-
cul o iden i y, and e en mo e di icul o e alua e, whe he hey ha e been in ended
o no , and whe he hey ha e been expec ed by hei ins iga o s. S ill, an incomple e
and b ie look a h ee di e en le els o impac e eals he ollowing.
Impac on he con ainmen o he pandemic: Maybe he mos exempla y impac
o FUOP ac i i ies was he es ing egime Alles Gu gel (TS). F om ea ly 2021
onwa ds, some egions o Aus ia, namely Vienna, buil up a unique PCR es -
ing in as uc u e consis ing o ee ki s, sophis ica ed sample collec ion logis ics
( oge he wi h a supe ma ke chain), special es ing s uc u es o companies o
schools, and a p o essionally managed cen al labo a o y. The esul was a sim-
ple and use ul diagnos ic ool wi h a compa a i ely high deg ee o eliabili y o
e e yone. Howe e , Alles Gu gel came wi h high cos s and he discussion abou
he e ec i eness o his in as uc u e emains di icul . Expe s es ima e ha , e.g.,
Vienna migh ha e had a much lowe es ima ed numbe o un epo ed cases han
o he egions.18 FUOP was ins umen al in wo ways o es ablishing Alles Gu gel ,
i s by o ming a pla o m o (mainly biomedical) esea che s o de elop es s a e-
gies and obus hypo heses, and second, by one o he mode a o s (Thomas S a -
linge ) con incing impo an decision make s o se up he PCR es in as uc u e.
The pla o m was also in ol ed in ongoing ini ia i es o keep schools open. Ini-
ially, su eys and discussions among FUOP membe s ied o es ablish an e idence-
based na a i e o schools o coun e he close-all-and-e e y hing policy o e mos
o he yea 2020, pu ing he needs o schoolchild en and amilies in he o e on ,
and acknowledging ha school closu es had se e e nega i e e ec s on educa ion o
psycho-social ou comes. In e nal discussions we e con o e sial, as he le el o con-
agiousness o child en emained unclea o some ime. Once sol ed, he pla o m’s
posi ion was clea : cau ious opening accompanied by massi e (pool) es ing. Va i-
ous EOs we e published, and membe s ins iga ed ense discussions wi h he Min-
is yo Educa ion and o he public ac o s. Those e o s seemed o ha e had some
limi ed e ec s on an o en- eluc an school bu eauc acy.
Impac on Aus ian ins i u ions: Indi ec ly, FUOP likely con ibu ed o se e al
ins i u ional inno a ions in Aus ia. Pla o m membe s we e in ol ed in se ing up
he Aus ian Mic o Da a Cen e (AMDC) and c ea ing he Aus ian Supply Chain
In elligence Ins i u e (ASCII), as well as ins i u ionalizing a household panel (Aus-
ian Socio-Economic Panel, ASEP). On Janua y 1, 2024, in line wi h he new leg-
isla i e s eps, he new K isensiche hei sgese z (a na ional esilience ac ) came in o
o ce. The pla o m was poin ing owa ds he di icul y o ge ing up- o-da e heal h
da a on Aus ia.19 A one poin , he pla o m’s WG on “Da a” emba ked on w i ing
a bluep in o a na ional da a s a egy including heal h and o he in eg a ion o he
18 See h ps:// www. spek um. de/ news/ alles- gu ge l - was- die- wiene - es s a e gie- leis en- kann/ 19778 83
(las accessed 2024-01-24). Alles Gu gel means “e e ybody is ga gling”. How di icul he measu ing is,
is shown by he ph asing “lowe es ima ed numbe o un epo ed cases”, making his measu e a a ge o
spending c i ics.
19 The p oblem o missing da a, exace ba ed by ou da ed in as uc u e, GDPR obsessions, and unwill-
ingness o majo playe s, has been ou lined in se e al documen s (König and Schmoigl 2020; Thu ne
and Klimek 2021; Klimek e al. 2022; Neuwi h 2022).
“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase o Scien i ic…
EU Da a Go e nance Ac (DGA) in o na ional legal and o ganiza ional s uc u es
(Schü z e al. 2023). Recen ini ia i es o a go e nmen da a s a egy on na ional
le el migh ha e been in luenced in pa by he e o s o FUOP.
Impac s on cul u e: Se e al in e iew pa ne s men ioned ha he mos impo -
an achie emen was he c ea ion o an in e - and ansdisciplina y communi y wi h
s ong in e ac ions. FUOP induced ans e o me hods wi hin he social and heal h
sciences a nume ous ins ances and enabled membe s o es ablish a mu ual ame-
wo k o key assump ions and concep s amongs . Tha ce ainly had an impac on he
quali y o he s a emen s and ecommenda ions issued by he pla o m; whe he his
will also inspi e imp o emen s wi h he hi d mission s uc u es o Aus ian uni e -
si ies, wai s o be seen.
E en ually, qui e a ew membe s o FUOP ound hei way in o policy ad iso y
bodies, in o he media, in o he public, and in o he o ums. The e, he in e discipli-
na i y o he delibe a ions seemed o ha e had a posi i e e ec on hei (semi-)pub-
lic s a emen s, in he sense ha expe s we e mo e balanced in wha hey said and
ha hey could weigh be e , o example, be ween necessa y s eps and he nega i e
impac ha would ha e on speci ic g oups. E en i hose expe s would ha e been
in i ed wi hou hei FUOP pa icipa ion, i is sa e o assume ha hei espec i e
con ibu ions could easily ha e u ned ou in a na owe manne .
In May 2022, he pla o m o ganized a wo-day-con e ence on “Science o Resil-
ience”, con ening na ional expe s (many, bu no all o which we e membe s o he
pla o m) oge he wi h in e na ional speake s. While he Aus ian media co e ed he
con e ence,20 and i was gene ally p aised by he pa icipan s om ab oad as a unique
oppo uni y o exchange, academic ins i u ions did no ake up he o ma and he e
we e no u he con e ences o his so . Addi ionally, Aus ian delega es seem o be
absen om o he in e na ional ga he ings wi h simila scope (Del aissy e al. 2024).
Conclusions
This mic o-s udy analyses FUOP along wi h i s p ac ices in bo h doing and saying.
The e o s o modula e (i.e., as a ule o open) con ingencies ha e been p esen ed by
elucida ing he pa icipan s’ skills, he FUOP ools, and he cons uc ion o meaning
h ough cons an c oss-disciplina y delibe a ion. Somewha p o oca i ely, his has
been labelled in he i le as “a mili ia o ana chis s un by a gene al”. Besides he
ob ious i ony o ha in e iew quo e, all h ee elemen s p o ide deepe insigh in o
he emi o he g oup. The mili ia s ands o he p ac ice o olun a y, unpaid, o en
un ecognized ha d wo k o expe s wi h demanding p o essional li es. Wo king as
a mili ia has been a dis inc and o e ime a delibe a e ool o FUOP, p o iding o a
egime o p ac ices, including a no ma i e dimension o collec i e ac ion.
Ha ing a gene al as an o ganize and media o p o ided FUOP wi h he skills
and ools o i s o midable asks: How o se and ope a ionalize a s a egy? How
o p o ide o logis ics in a bu eauc a ical se ing ha is unp epa ed o he c isis
20 See h ps:// scien ce. o . a / s o i es/ 32132 98/ (las accessed 2023-11-23)
T.König, M.S amp e
a hand? How o mo e om a ge A o a ge B in an endu ing si ua ion whe e he
i us was o en e med as an in isible and cunning enemy?
The leas ob ious elemen is he ana chis s. He e, one should no hink o e en s
like he bloody e ol o he As u ian mine s bu o a mo e peace ul se . Pe e K o-
po kin (a no able scien is himsel ) desc ibes he Ju a wa chmake ede a ion in he
la e 1870s, along he ollowing meanings, skills, and ools: sel -o ganiza ion, di i-
sion o labo , solida i y, e o s o social jus ice, and ambi ion o publish hei iews
on he wo ld, and how o change i (K opo kin 2002: 421–6).
Policy ad ice is expec ed o p o ide a di e en ia ed o e iew o he cu en si u-
a ion, based on quickly a ailable and eliable da a and ac s. I ope a es a he nexus
be ween scien i ic expe ise and poli ical accoun abili y, a c ucial in e sec ion whe e
“ he bounda y be ween science and poli ics has o be cons an ly ed awn and ei e -
a ed” (Weinga 1999: 160). The pla o m was mos ly abou p o iding he space o
social lea ning and dealing wi h he lack o any mid- e m pe spec i e (König 2020:
105). I demands a ew basic equi emen s (see speci ically Bogne and Bun uß 2023:
84): gi en he pla o m’s con inual s eam o scien i ic ad ice, one can conclude ha
i ul illed mos o hem, o ound c ea i e (i only empo a y) wo k-a ounds.
The mic o-s o y o he pla o m p o ides some b oade insigh s in o Aus ia. Fo
one, he Aus ian policy sys em has had di icul ies in unde s anding he di e ence
be ween e idence, policy ad ice, and ac ual policymaking. Co po a is in e es s and
bu eauc acy ha e been pa o he bodies ha we e supposed o be ad ising, hence no
p o iding space o o ganized delibe a ion. I con on ed wi h new challenges, he sys-
em eso ed o es ed s a egies o he shel ha we e, howe e , no always app op ia e
o he speci ic si ua ion (Mä zke 2021; Fallend and Miklin 2023). New bodies eme ged
in imes o heigh ened ala m, and hey we e abandoned once he hea was o (Bogne
e al. 2023; Bogne and Bun uß 2023: 85–86; Rakowsky e al. 2023). Aus ia’s aca-
demic ins i u ions, o en claiming he ins iga ion o hi d mission ac i i ies, had a con-
inued dismal eco d in ha ega d. Pa icipan s claim ha FUOP was he la ges Aus-
ian non-comme cial hi d mission ac i i y hey a e awa e o , ye pu ely bo om-up.
The pla o m had mo e han one s and-in unc ion in imes o c isis: Ad oca e
o con ingency openings and o hinking in op ions, collec o o e idence, mul i-
disciplina y discussion o um, and aining g ound o o ming mul i- ace ed policy
ad ice and ans e , la ge-scale hi d mission ac i i y. Can such p ope ies be ins i-
u ionalized wi hou losing zeal and eshness? Wha is he ade-o be ween a o -
mal manda e and he spi i encoun e ed a FUOP? The answe o hose ques ions is
dependen on ins i u ional se ings and he kind o c isis.
Howe e , he en scien i ic Co id ad iso y boa ds a an in e na ional lea ning
exe cise (no ably, wi h Aus ia missing) conclude ha he ollowing ac o s we e c ucial
p e equisi es o sound ad ice du ing he pandemic: A o mal ole o he ad ice-gi ing
body; a c oss-disciplina y se -up wi h a ocus on e idence; a clea ly de ined bounda y
be ween expe s and poli ics, an ac i e communica ion; speedy se -up wi h app op ia e
p epa a ion be o e c isis. Speci ically, he epo also s a es ha , o apid esponses o he
pandemic, i was help ul i “indi iduals had wo ked oge he be o e he pandemic, bu i
was impo an o b ing in new expe s o ensu e inpu and insigh s om he ull ange o
disciplines” (Del aissy e al. 2024: 510). Ob iously, imes be ween acu e c ises a e he
“A Mili ia o Ana chis s Run byaGene al”. ACase o Scien i ic…
mo e p omising pe iods o build ins i u ions ha a e deemed o p o ide suppo du ing
imes o c isis.
Mo e gene ally, his is also a s udy on he g owing impo ance (and al e ing ole)
o expe s in he public sphe e (Hi schi 2021). They con ibu e opical expe ise, and
inc easingly seem o ha e challenged he posi ion o he owe ing public in ellec ual in
media appea ances. As a ecen s udy has con incingly shown, howe e , many expe s
aced massi e “epis emic esis ance” du ing he pandemic c isis (Amlinge and Nach wey
2022: 270–85). Expe s could be, a he same ime, ocks a s and culp i s, while
go e nmen s, ad ised by expe s, expe ienced s ong shi s in poli ical ou ines. The case
o FUOP p o ides a less ex eme s o y: I s membe s came in as expe s, and expe s hey
emained, al hough – o maybe because – hey had o balance hei domain knowledge
wi h many o he s. O cou se, FUOP was no a pla o m o discuss hings wi h he public
be e . Bu hen again, pla o m membe s, in hei public appea ances, could d aw on
p eceding c oss-disciplina y discussions.21
Acknowledgemen s We a e g a e ul o ou in e iewees. Clelia Cas ellucci and Ba ba a Unge ho e
helped us wi h o ganizing he documen s, which is g ea ly app ecia ed. A ne Ba hke, Syl ia K i zinge ,
and He wig Os e mann ga e us aluable eedback on an ea lie e sion o he d a . The a icle was
g ea ly imp o ed hanks o he cons uc i e e iew o wo anonymous pee s. Maggie Ha diman did an
excellen job in language edi ing he manusc ip . All emaining e o s a e solely he esponsibili y o he
au ho s
Decla a ions
Con lic o in e es The au ho s ha e been pa icipa ing in he mee ings o he “Fu u e Ope a ions Pla -
o m” o e he whole pe iod co e ed. As expe ienced science adminis a o s wi h a eco d in he s udy
o pas and cu en policy de elopmen s hey a e con iden o combine i s hand insigh wi h he equi ed
dis ance in analysis. No unding was ecei ed o assis wi h he p epa a ion o his manusc ip .
E hics App o al All in e iewees we e in o med abou hei igh s and signed an in o med consen
be o ehand.
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Re e ences
Ah ne, Gö an, and Nils B unsson. 2011. O ganiza ion ou side o ganiza ions: he signi icance o pa ial
o ganiza ion. O ganiza ion 18: 83–104. h ps:// doi. o g/ 10. 1177/ 13505 08410 376256.
21 The modele being awa e o he con ex s o he policy ield she is dealing wi h; he epidemiologis
ha ing lea n be o e wha a adical measu e would mean o social li e; he planne a oiding mono-causal
plans.