Upload
others
View
2
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Harnessing Science and
Technology for our Future :
Policy-making on innovations in
science, technology and
democracy
Wiebe E. Bijker Universiteit Maastricht
København, Parliament, June 16, 2012
Harnessing
Science
&
Technology
for our
Future
Policy-making
on
Innovations
in
Science,
Technology
and
Democracy 2
When Science and Technology
come into Parliament…
We live in a
technological culture
• Dikes, islands, polders
• Immigration control
• Economic and financial crisis
• Risk culture of flood
management
• GM biotechnology
Society is built on S&T
+
S&T are shaped by society and culture
society science &
technology
… enter politics!
While doing what about S&T? • Letting S&T run freely?
(ostrich strategy)
• Handing societies over to engineers and scientists?
(technocratic strategy) 4
Shape our
societies
… enter politics!
Owning and owning-up-to our S&T: •Holding it to our societies’ agenda’s
(and thus making S&T contribute to societies’ goals)
•Recognizing science’s necessary freedom
(and not making S&T into hand-maiden of politics) 5
Shape our
science &
technology
… enter politics!
6
Shape our
societies
Shape our
science &
technology
politics policy
pTA
p arliamentary
T echnology
A ssessment
Standard solution
1. Facts are provided by scientists
2. Values are added by politicians
3. Policies are implemented by bureaucrats
… does not work any more, because of: • Complexities of societies and S&T
• Uncertainties in S&T
• Plurality of value and knowledge systems
• Different time-scales 7
Science-based policies +
societally-inspired science
• TA: Provides scientific evidence to inform politics and
policies: • On facts, S&T developments, promises & risks
• On visions, opinions, interests
• TA: Highlights special character of modern S&T: • complexity
• uncertainties
• plurality of visions and opinions
• conflicting interests
• long-term perspective of science versus short-term perspective of
politics
• TA: Helps to innovate democracy to engage citizens
with S&T in new ways
8
New risk-handling problem
• There are promising S&T developments
that need to proceed
• There are indications of potential
hazards, but without firm scientific proof
• Adequacy of current regulations is
unclear
Challenge for democracy:
How to democratically govern something
that we do yet not know much about?
Dilemma:
Early dialogue with little knowledge
Later policy-making when more is known
?
Who should be involved?
Known risks
(eg. Asbestos)
Uncertain risks (eg. Nano particles)
Invite:
Scientists
+
Stakeholders
+
Citizens
Ambiguous risks (eg. Human
enhancement)
Invite:
Scientists
+
Stakeholders
Invite:
Scientists
Societal
dialogue
Dutch experiment:
1. On democracy
2. On handling new science and technology
12
Societal dialogue
on nanotechnologies
in The Netherlands
(2009-2011)
We tried to make clear
choices:
• Independent organising committee (but weak political mandate?)
• Broad spectrum of participants (but little attention to key actors?)
• Externalisation of activities (but lack of quality control?)
• Broad spectrum of media and means (but lack of focus?)
• Information—Awareness—Dialogue (but lack of politically relevant questions?)
Dialogue as part of governance
process
14
pTA
P
G ScAv pTA pTA ScAv
P
G
Ale
rt a
nd a
genda s
ettin
g
Ask s
cie
ntific a
dvic
e
Appro
ve
ad
vic
e r
equest
Advis
ory
re
port
on n
ano
Wo
rksh
op
with M
P’s
and s
take
ho
lders
Socie
tal D
ialo
gue
Ord
er
So
cie
tal D
ialo
gu
e
Appro
ve
G
P
time
Issues I have discussed
• The challenges of policy-making about
science and technology innovation • complex issues
• uncertainties about consequences
• plurality of visions and opinions
• conflicting interests
• long-term perspective of science versus short-term perspective of politics
• The need for knowledge-based policy-
making (knowledge on facts, visions, opinions, interests)
• The role of TA to support knowledge-based
policy-making
• The role of TA to innovate democracy and
citizens’ participation
16
mailto:[email protected]
Dialogue amongst participants
1. What are the challenges related to
policy-making on science and
technology issues?
2. How do policy-makers meet these
challenges?
3. How could Technology Assessment
support this?