Final answer:
An epistemic community is a network of experts from various organizations who share a common set of beliefs and exert influence on global governance and policy-making in their field of expertise. Option B is correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
A transnational group of experts and technical specialists from Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and state and substate agencies that share a set of beliefs is called a(n) epistemic community. This term refers to a network of professionals with recognized expertise and competence in a particular domain and an authoritative claim to policy-relevant knowledge within that domain or issue-area. Such communities play a significant role in global governance, influencing the development and implementation of policies at both the national and international levels.
An epistemic community is different from a collective good, which is available to all, regardless of individual contribution; it is also distinct from economic frameworks like the Washington Consensus or Beijing Consensus, which refer to particular sets of policy prescriptions for economic issues.
IGOs like the United Nations often encourage membership in such knowledge-based networks to elevate the standard of global policymaking and to encourage cooperation beyond sovereign interests. This is crucial for addressing complex global challenges such as climate change, human rights, and economic development, which often require technical expertise and globally coordinated efforts to effectively manage.
Epistemic communities may have an impact on the formation of international treaties, where their expertise and technical knowledge contribute significantly to the process. In many cases, IGOs, NGOs, and epistemic communities work collaboratively towards providing collective goods, enhancing policy-making, and offering guidelines that shape state behaviors towards common goals, as outlined in the missions of global IGOs such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO).