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

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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

w.bijker@maastrichtuniversity.nl

mailto:w.bijker@maastrichtuniversity.nl

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?