Haas defines epistemic community as “communities of shared knowledge” (Haas 377), or a community of “ecologists and marine scientists who set the international agenda and directed their own states toward support of international efforts and toward the introduction of strong pollution control measures at home” (Haas 384). In other words, “if a group with a common perspective is able to acquire and sustain control over a substantive policy domain, the associated regime will become stronger and countries will comply with it” (Haas 380) “This epistemic community consisted of high-ranking UNEP officials and mid-level government officials from various countries and from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds” (Haas 384) In fact, the “external support from UNEP enhanced the scientists’ domestic prestige and strengthened their domestic political base” (Haas 387) allowing them to shape “their own governments’ policies in convergent manners” (Haas 387), reinforcing “the regime’s support internationally” (Haas 387) One way that this happened was through “the capture of various regulatory environmental ministries” (Haas 389) Therefore, the Mediterranean maritime pollution control regime was successful “due to the regime’s introduction of new actors who influenced national behavior and contributed to the development of coordinated and convergent policymaking in the Mediterranean states” (Haas, 401-402)

Work Cited: Haas, Peter M., “Do Regimes Matter? Epistemic Communities and Mediterranean Pollution Control,” International Organizations, 43, Summer 1989