Too Early for Global Ethics

C1 - Journal Articles Refereed© 2005 Cambridge University Press. Online edition of the journal is available at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=CQ

Responsible Innovation for An Ageing Society: The Assisted Living Project

Die alternde Bevölkerung stellt eine große Herausforderung dar, der auch Innovationen und neu entwickelte Technologien Rechnung tragen müssen. Beiträge hierzu müssen allerdings in einem verantwortungsvollen Prozess gemeinsam mit der Gesellschaft entwickelt und nicht von außen aufgestülpt werden. Daher benötigt man das Wissen und die Erfahrung, wie verantwortliche Forschung und Innovation (RRI) für Technologien im Bereich der Sozialdienste erreicht werden kann. Das Projekt „Assisted Living“ beschäftigt sich in Norwegen mit dieser Herausforderung und zieht Vergleiche zu Deutschland und Großbritannien.The aging population is a grand challenge to which innovation and technology development must contribute. However, this contribution must be developed in a responsible process with society and not be pushed on society. For this reason we need to build knowledge and experience on how to achieve responsible research and innovation (RRI) in the field of welfare technologies. The Assisted Living project deals with this challenge in Norway and provides comparisons with Germany and UK

Constructing a Global Technology Assessment : Insights from Australia, China, Europe, Germany, India and Russia

Worldwide simultaneous effects of technologies, international challenges such as climate change as well as shifting relationships between science and society call for approaches that can address these issues on a global level. This book examines the potential of Technology Assessment (TA), as an until now mainly national and Western concept, to take on this global level and provide answers to these pressing questions

Science and Technology Governance and Ethics - A Global Perspective from Europe, India and China

This book analyzes the possibilities for effective global governance of science in Europe, India and China. Authors from the three regions join forces to explore how ethical concerns over new technologies can be incorporated into global science and technology policies. The first chapter introduces the topic, offering a global perspective on embedding ethics in science and technology policy. Chapter Two compares the institutionalization of ethical debates in science, technology and innovation policy in three important regions: Europe, India and China. The third chapter explores public perceptions of science and technology in these same three regions. Chapter Four discusses public engagement in the governance of science and technology, and Chapter Five reviews science and technology governance and European values. The sixth chapter describes and analyzes values demonstrated in the constitution of the People’s Republic of China. Chapter Seven describes emerging evidence from India on the uses of science and technology for socio-economic development, and the quest for inclusive growth. In Chapter Eight, the authors propose a comparative framework for studying global ethics in science and technology. The following three chapters offer case studies and analysis of three emerging industries in India, China and Europe: new food technologies, nanotechnology and synthetic biology. Chapter 12 gathers all these threads for a comprehensive discussion on incorporating ethics into science and technology policy. The analysis is undertaken against the backdrop of different value systems and varying levels of public perception of risks and benefits. The book introduces a common analytical framework for the comparative discussion of ethics at the international level. The authors offer policy recommendations for effective collaboration among the three regions, to promote responsible governance in science and technology and a common analytical perspective in ethics

Responsible research and innovation: a global perspective

Based on the paper presented at the Doctorate Conference on Technologogy Assessment in July 2013 at the University Nova Lisboa, Caparica campusResponsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is a normative concept that has captured considerable attention on the Science and Technology (S&T) policy level, but also in academic discourses. It represents a new approach to how science, innovation and research can be shaped in accordance with societal values that builds directly on the concepts and methodologies of Technology Assessment (TA). The definition and operationalization aspects of RRI remain still unclear although key ingredients such as ethical acceptability are well-established in S&T debates and embrace a spectrum of standard methodological approaches. In this paper we review the conceptual debate on RRI with a focus on its constituent parts. We then present a functional comparison between RRI and TA that proves the considerable conceptual overlap in the two approaches. We argue that TA methodologies and precepts should be employed as key operationalisational features in RRI. Finally we argue for a global perspective on RRI by describing a case study on global ethics in S&T that introduces an analytical framework for ethics debates

Technology Assessment in a Globalized World

The interaction between science and policy is affected by increasingly dissolving boundaries whereby a number of issues arise, such as, what should political advice for national parliaments consist of in the face of global socio-technical developments? The Internet of Things in relation to Big Data resulting in enormously fast analysis of huge amounts of data, accelerates the dissolution of boundaries between science, society and policy at global level. This type of “globalization” raises questions that concern very diverse and intimate areas of life, ranging from food to health to work automation. How can access to science and technology in very different societal settings can be enabled, while also accounting for global developments? The article deals with the assumption that global effects of science and technology as well as global challenges lead to an urgent need to develop methodologies for analyzing and also shaping these developments. Under the umbrella term “Global Technology Assessment” (Global TA) it is argued that the problem-oriented, interdisciplinary methodology of technology assessment offers a promising frame to deal with cultural and ethical questions in relation to emerging technologies. This framework is needed in order to be able to develop meaningful national comparisons, but also in order to be able to approach the analysis of common future challenges on equal footing

Responsibility versus sustainability, ethics, and societal engagement: The German Science, Technology, Innovation context

We examine the concept of responsible research and innovation (RRI) in Germany in the context of national science, technology and innovation (STI) as well as its legal and normative framework in relation to ethics and societal engagement and compare the results to similar international research. Our analysis shows that responsibility plays a central role in research practice guided by research ethics standards and societal grand challenges. Consequently, there is a significant increase in demands for inclusion and engagement of a wider stakeholder spectrum in STI. Compared to other countries, the concept of RRI in Germany is increasingly superseded by that of sustainability. We argue that responsibility and sustainability are conceptually close and highly interchangeable in the German national debate. We conclude with basic recommendations for greater clarity in research on responsibility and sustainability and the aims of ethics and societal engagement.Im Folgenden wird das Konzept "Responsible Research and Innovation" (RRI) im Kontext nationaler Forschung, Technologie und Innovation (FTI) sowie seiner rechtlichen und normativen Rahmen in Bezug auf Ethik und gesellschaftliche Partizipation untersucht und mit Erkenntnissen internationaler Forschung verglichen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Verantwortung eine zentrale Rolle in einer Forschungspraxis einnimmt, die auf forschungsethische Standards und große gesellschaftliche Herausforderungen ausgerichtet ist. Forderungen nach Einbeziehung und Partizipation eines breiteren Stakeholder-Spektrums in FTI nehmen daher deutlich zu. Im Vergleich zu anderen Ländern zeigt sich, dass das RRI-Konzept in Deutschland jedoch zunehmend durch das der Nachhaltigkeit verdrängt wird. Wir argumentieren, dass Verantwortung und Nachhaltigkeit in der deutschen Debatte konzeptionell nahe beieinander liegen und häufig austauschbar sind. Der Beitrag schließt mit grundlegenden Handlungsempfehlungen für mehr Klarheit in der Forschung zu Verantwortung und Nachhaltigkeit sowie den Zielen von Ethik und gesellschaftlicher Partizipation