Researching on the expertise as a guiding tool for planning allows to explore the dimension of epistemological authority in defining policies. In the field of Social Studies of Science and Technology, there are few studies on the expertise when it comes to the Social Sciences and Humanities. This paper explores this relationship through the analysis of texts produced by a Brazilian government Think tank: the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA). The study was guided by the following question: what are the elements that characterize the IPEA institutionalized knowledge of science, technology and innovation? The theoretical concepts articulate Sociology of Science and Political Theory. The research methodology combined field and bibliometric analysis. The literature review revealed: the continuity and discontinuity of topics, research priorities; theoretical referentials and hegemonic and disciplinary approaches, as well as the authors profile.