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Biotechnology and public engagement in Europe / Janus Hansen

Author
Hansen, Janus, 1973-
Published
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
Physical Description
xi, 248 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

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Contents
Outline of the argument -- 1. The Anatomy of a Technological Controversy -- Biotechnological controversies as objects of sociological investigation -- Social research in a polarised controversy -- Biotechnology and the public in surveys and qualitative research -- R̀isk as proxy' - the development of biotech governance -- 2. Discourses of Public Engagement -- Challenges to the technocratic model - the emergence of technology assessment -- Exploring the intellectual underpinnings of participatory technology assessment -- A new role for society in contemporary knowledge production -- Expert knowledge and lay knowledge -- PTA as deliberative democracy in practice -- Organisational features of participatory technology assessment - an initial classification -- 3. Analysing PTAs in a Polycontextual Society -- Axiomatic basis: systems of communication and their environments -- Modernity as functional differentiation -- Observing technology through systems theory -- Risk and danger -- Trust as a complexity-reducing social mechanism -- Observing the public -- Functional differentiation and public engagement -- PTAs as forums for intersystemic mediation -- An operational approach to analysing PTAs -- Studying PTAs empirically -- 4. Engaging the Public in Denmark - The Problem of Resonance -- Biotech policy in Denmark prior to 1996 -- Re-emergence of controversy around commercialised biotechnology -- Public engagement experiences in Denmark -- The consensus conference format -- The 1999 consensus conference on GM food and crops -- Impacts of the consensus conference -- The BioTIK commission -- Uptake of èthics' by the political system -- The BioTIK secretariat -- Danish policy subsequent to the consensus conference and BioTIK -- Analytical features of public engagement in Denmark -- The problem of resonance -- 5. Engaging the Public in the UK - The Problem of Inclusion -- Setting the scene -- The public understanding of science discourse in the UK -- Policy failure, intransparency and the decline in public trust -- A new mood for consultation and public participation -- Public participation in biotechnology in the UK -- The UK regulatory framework -- The decision to have a public debate -- The framing of the debate -- The debate process -- Debate outcomes -- Analytical features of the G̀M Nation?' procedure -- Operationalising the public for debate -- The role of science in the procedure -- The effects of the G̀M Nation?' -- The problem of inclusion -- 6. Engaging the Public in Germany - The Problem of Mediation -- The emergence and shaping of biotechnology as a regulatory issue in Germany -- Organised participatory assessments of biotechnology in Germany -- Diskurs Grune Gentechnik - a participatory procedure in a corporatist setting -- The preparatory phase -- The discourse phase -- Effects of Diskurs Grune Gentechnik -- Analytical features of Diskurs Grune Gentechnik -- The problem of mediation -- 7. Procedures and Challenges Compared -- Construction of representativeness -- Construction of competence -- Links to policy-making -- 8. Conclusion.
Summary
"Ideas about public engagement with controversial technologies are growing in political prominence. This book delivers a theoretically grounded, empirical analysis of why active public involvement is considered to be of growing importance for the legitimate use of new technologies. It examines the different social dynamics influencing actual attempts to engage the public and the difficulties encountered" "Janus Hansen argues that while there are strong normative reasons to further public engagement with the regulation of controversial technologies, there are also strong sociological reasons to reflect carefully on what such engagement can realistically achieve. This book delivers conceptual tools and empirical analyses to support such reflections based on in-depth case studies of important attempts to engage public concerns with genetically modified food across Europe."--BOOK JACKET.
Subject(s)
ISBN
9780230242128
023024212X
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
View MARC record | catkey: 6351561