Waarom kerkelijke participatie nodig is : Stanley Hauerwas’ beschrijvingen van de christelijke gemeenschap

Masterthesis Ethiek (Systematische theologie

Too many actions, too few priorities : commentary on the ministerial review of the STI landscape

The final report of the Ministerial Review Committee on the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Landscape is the latest in a series of documents seeking to review South Africa's National System of Innovation (NSI) and to identify the important actions that are required to enhance innovation within the system and 'deliver a sustained and durable knowledge-based economy'.http://www.sajs.co.zaai201

Policy-driven, narrative-based evidence-gathering: UK priorities for decarbonisation through biomass

Evidence-based policy-making (EBPM) has been a much-debated concept, attracting various theoretical interpretations. This paper builds on those insights for a novel perspective: policy-driven, narrative-based evidence-gathering. In a case study of UK priority-setting for bioenergy innovation, documents and interviews were analysed to identify links between problem-diagnoses, societal visions, policy narratives and evidence-gathering. This process is illuminated by the theoretical concept of socio-technical imaginaries – technoscientific projects which the state should promote for a feasible, desirable future. Results suggest that evidence has been selectively generated and gathered within a specific future vision, whereby bioenergy largely provides an input-substitute within the incumbent centralised infrastructure; such evidence is attributed to an external expertise, thus helping to legitimise the policy framework. Evidence has helped to substantiate policy commitments to expand bioenergy. An earlier policy vision for decentralised bioenergy has been kept marginal. The dominant narrative has been reinforced by the government’s multi-stakeholder consultation favouring incumbent industry and by incentive structures for industry co-investment

Economic evaluation of orphan drug Lutetium-Octreotate vs. Octreotide long-acting release for patients with an advanced midgut neuroendocrine tumour in the Netherlands

OBJECTIVES: Multiple studies showed positive effects of Lutetium-Octreotate (LO) treatment in neuroendocrine tumours. LO has been used in the Netherlands since the 1980s and recently received the orphan status shortly after the acquisition by Novartis. Since then, the official list price has increased sixfold. From a value-based pricing perspective, we analysed the impact of the increase in price on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of LO treatment compared to optimal best supportive care, a high dose of Octreotide long-acting release (O-LAR), using the clinical data of the NETTER-1 trial. METHODS: A Markov model was developed to evaluate the costs per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) for LO treatment compared to O-LAR from the healthcare perspective. A scenario analysis was conducted to compare the cost-effectiveness with the initial and increased price level of the LO-treatment. RESULTS: At the increased price level, the cost-effectiveness analysis rendered a deterministic ICER of €53,500 per QALY, while at the initial pricing, the ICER was €19,000 per QALY. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) showed that LO had a high probability of being cost-effective at both the increased and initial price level, considering a cost-effectiveness threshold of €80,000. CONCLUSIONS: Even at the increased price level, LO treatment can still be considered cost-effective using the applicable Dutch willingness-to-pay threshold of 80,000 euro per QALY. Considering the public scrutiny in relation to this price increase, these outcomes raise the question whether traditional cost-effectiveness methods are sufficient in fully capturing the societal acceptance of prices of new medicines. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10198-021-01303-2

Identifying predictors of attitudes towards local onshore wind development with reference to an English case study

The threats posed by climate change are placing governments under increasing pressure to meet electricity demand from low-carbon sources. In many countries, including the UK, legislation is in place to ensure the continued expansion of renewable energy capacity. Onshore wind turbines are expected to play a key role in achieving these aims. However, despite high levels of public support for onshore wind development in principle, specific projects often experience local opposition. Traditionally this difference in general and specific attitudes has been attributed to NIMBYism (not in my back yard), but evidence is increasingly calling this assumption into question. This study used multiple regression analysis to identify what factors might predict attitudes towards mooted wind development in Sheffield, England. We report on the attitudes of two groups; one group (target) living close to four sites earmarked for development and an unaffected comparison group (comparison). We found little evidence of NIMBYism amongst members of the target group; instead, differences between general and specific attitudes appeared attributable to uncertainty regarding the proposals. The results are discussed with respect to literature highlighting the importance of early, continued and responsive community involvement in combating local opposition and facilitating the deployment of onshore wind turbines. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Reworking Recipes and Experiments in the Classroom

This chapter addresses the potential of reworking experiments or recipes in educational settings. We reflect on educational practice in several university settings, which span the Liberal Arts and Science Program in Utrecht and a course for historians of science and technology at Johns Hopkins University to physics teacher education at the Europa-Universität Flensburg. The classroom use of RRR methods serves to teach the exploratory nature of science, and focuses the attention of students on materials and the sensory dimensions of experiments. Together, the three cases argue that the use of RRR methods in the classroom allows teachers to engage students in new ways, and offers students the opportunity to participate more meaningfully in research into the history of science

Building a Social Mandate for Climate Action: Lessons from COVID-19

The COVID-19 imposed lockdown has led to a number of temporary environmental side effects (reduced global emissions, cleaner air, less noise), that the climate community has aspired to achieve over a number of decades. However, these benefits have been achieved at a massive cost to welfare and the economy. This commentary draws lessons from the COVID-19 crisis for climate change. It discusses whether there are more sustainable ways of achieving these benefits, as part of a more desirable, low carbon resilient future, in a more planned, inclusive and less disruptive way. In order to achieve this, we argue for a clearer social contract between citizens and the state. We discuss how COVID-19 has demonstrated that behaviours can change abruptly, that these changes come at a cost, that we need a ‘social mandate’ to ensure these changes remain in the long-term, and that science plays an important role in informing this process. We suggest that deliberative engagement mechanisms, such as citizens’ assemblies and juries, could be a powerful way to build a social mandate for climate action post-COVID-19. This would enable behaviour changes to become more accepted, embedded and bearable in the long-term and provide the basis for future climate action