Cosmopolitan technology assessment? Lessons learned from attempts to address the deficit of technology assessment in Europe

Abstract

This article examines ineffective efforts to address the Technology Assessment deficit in Europe and asks how TA approaches can spread across diverse socio-political contexts while considering the specificities of receiving environments. Based on participatory observations and in-depth empirical case studies, we draw on Sheila Jasanoff's work and identify a discursive shift from an institutional deficit to a knowledge deficit of TA, co-produced with an asymmetrical form of cosmopolitan epistemic subsidiarity. Our analysis highlights the epistemic supremacy of existing TA institutions, a situation in which newcomers fully consent to become reliant on foreign imports of TA practices and knowledge. We argue to carefully disentangle the normative dimensions and power inequalities of the standardization of TA approaches, as this can threaten the diversity of perspectives of the knowledge produced and, consequently, the effectiveness and legitimacy of public decision-making. We conclude by identifying research avenues into epistemic subsidiarity for TA practice and scholarship.

Technology assessment for emerging technology

“…One such evolution is the expansion from expert-oriented TA activities (as seen in the TA activities of the OTA) to more participatory TA approaches. 5 Participatory TA acknowledges that underlying values, such as democracy, sustainability and equality, should be part of the TA process and therefore focuses on including a variety of relevant stakeholders that will be affected by new and emerging technologies (Hennen 1999, Delvenne andRosskamp 2021). 6…”

“…Certain forms of TA, for example participatory TA, have an important convening function: bringing together different stakeholder groups which not only stimulates public and political opinion forming on societal and ethical aspects of STI, but also helps to foster public trust through engagement and inclusion. Consensus around a topic does not need to be the aim of a participatory TA activity, and some TA scholars and practitioners have described participatory TA activities as arenas where sense making takes place of both the controversies as well as for revealing how different stakeholders perceive the focus technology and its place in society (Rip 1986, Delvenne andRosskamp 2021).…”

Methods of Multi-Criteria Analysis in Technology Selection and Technology Assessment: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Technology assessment (TA) is a rapidly evolving research field visible in a growing number of research and publications appearing during the last decades (Halicka, 2020). It was primarily strictly connected with the policy tools supporting policymakers in identifying technological changes and planning future development (Delvenne & Rosskamp, 2021). So, it mainly played a crucial role in technology policy.…”