Participatory technology assessment
Many people feel that science can unleash potentially harmful technologies, and that insufficient public deliberation takes place regarding such developments. During the recent two decades, many countries have seen the introduction of participatory technology assessment (PTA), meaning lay citizens democratically debating such technologies. The EU-funded project CIT-PART (Impact of citizen participation on decision-making in a knowledge intensive policy field) studied PTA and expert-based technology assessment (TA). The project’s scope included eight European countries and the European Commission, plus Canada and the OECD. Research addressed the extent to which PTA and TA were used, the impact on policymaking and how PTA can increase citizen participation in decision-making. Work focused on the issue of xenotransplantation as a representative example of the complex mix of risks, benefits and ethical challenges surrounding many new technologies. Xenotransplantation is the taking of cells, tissues and organs from animals for use in humans. The study involved three phases. Phase one included analysis of democratic theory to illustrate participation, and also overview and classification of xenotransplantation policies and procedures. The other two phases collated case studies from selected countries and organisations, followed by comparative analysis. During the early 2000s, various xenotransplantation policies existed across Europe. Researchers found that expert TA dominated advice on xenotransplantation policies, while only a minority of governments commissioned PTA involvement. In a few cases, academics initiated PTA exercises, although the public involvement had no impact on xenotransplantation policies. In most cases, experts and civil servants were the main participants in policy development. In most countries, politicians did not play a significant role. Despite repeated mention of the importance of ethical issues, in most cases ethicists too played a minor role. Animal welfare agencies faced particular difficulty participating in debates. Some cases saw almost zero public involvement beyond the information being made public. In contrast, the scientific and industrial sectors had a very strong input into policy development. Debates were generally framed in terms of organ shortage and nation competitiveness, and less so in context of ethics and animal welfare. Study results can help inform and reform the topic of public participation in science and technology.
Keywords
Participatory technology assessment, CIT-PART, citizen participation, policymaking, xenotransplantation