Events: detail
Democratising Agri-Biotechnology? European Public Participation in Agbiotech Assessment
- Hosted by:
- London Public Understanding of Science Seminars, Social Psychology Institute & BIOS (LSE) & Science and Technology Studies (UCL)
- Speaker:
-
Les Levidow, Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
- Starts:
- February 27, 2008 at 05:15 pm
- Ends:
- February 27, 2008 at 06:30 pm
- Location:
- London School of Economics, St. Clements Building, Social Psychology Institute , Room S314, 3rd floor, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE United Kingdom
- Maps:
Description
Anticipating or responding to European public concerns over agbiotech, state bodies have sponsored participatory exercises in technology assessment (TA). Some participants sought to open up technological decisions vis à vis alternative futures, but such efforts were marginalised. Questions about agbiotech as control were displaced and channelled into regulatory issues and control measures. Participatory TA exercises have helped to hold governments accountable for regulatory criteria, but not for innovation choices. Pervasive tensions have arisen between discussing a ‘common’ problem – how to make agbiotech safe or acceptable – versus containing conflicts around problem-definitions of societal needs. Despite aspirations to democratise technological choices, the exercises tended to biotechnologise democracy. The prospects for democratization will depend upon wider, autonomous forms of participation
- Registration required:
- No
- Free:
- Yes
Additional information
Sponsored by NESTA
For more information
- Contact person:
- Valentina Amorese
- Email:
- V.Amorese [ at ] LSE.AC.UK
