Search

Many researchers experiment with participatory settings to increase public engagement in research and innovation (R&I). Because of their temporary nature, it often remains unclear how such participatory experiments can contribute to structural change. This paper empirically explores options for bridging this gap. It analyzes how participants can be supported to act as institutional entrepreneurs to actively promote public engagement in R&I. To draw lessons, we analyze empirical material gathered on nineteen Social Labs which were set up to promote the uptake of Responsible Research and Innovation in a European R&I funding program (Horizon 2020). Involvement of motivated participants, insight in their institutional context, and specific methods and management choices that enhance a sense of agency are identified as essential for organizing change. These findings and the resulting framework of interventions may prove valuable for further (action) research into the institutionalization of public engagement in R&I.

In this paper, we introduce the Societal Readiness (SR) Thinking Tool to aid researchers and innovators in developing research projects with greater responsiveness to societal values, needs, and expectations. The need for societally-focused approaches to research and innovation—complementary to Technology Readiness (TR) frameworks—is presented. Insights from responsible research and innovation (RRI) concepts and practice, organized across critical stages of project-life cycles are discussed with reference to the development of the SR Thinking Tool. The tool is designed to complement not only shortfalls in TR approaches, but also improve upon other efforts to integrate RRI, sustainability, and design thinking in research and innovation cycles. Operationalization and early-stage user tests of the Tool are reported, along with discussion of potential future iterations and applications., Ethics & Philosophy of Technology

In recent years many countries, including Austria, have commissioned citizen assemblies in response to the complex issue of climate change. Based on an explorative qualitative study, this paper examines the impact of climate assemblies on policy making and looks at elements that further or impede their impact. In addition, the paper identifies several other impacts of climate assemblies such as those on deliberative democracy and quality of discourse around contentious topics. The paper compares climate assemblies in France, Germany, Ireland and Scotland.

At least two trends appear to exist, according to the country reports in this book: A trend towards lifting donor anonymity and a trend towards access to assisted reproduction technologies (ART) for lesbian couples. This chapter questions whether we can expect further convergence of formal domestic laws regarding these two topics of ART. To answer the question, two propositions are tested: first, the proposition that European law leads to convergence of domestic law and, second, Kurzer’s proposition that changes in the values of citizens in European countries have such an effect. With respect to the latter: the European Values Study shows changes in values concerning child rearing and in attitudes regarding homosexuality in the same direction in European countries, although at a different pace. Domestic law seems to follow. With respect to the first: The effects of the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) regarding the right to know one’s origins and to equal rights to access to ART are less clear cut.

Since the 1960s, the Dutch have been discussing regulation regarding assisted reproduction. In a country with a religious-secular divide, one would expect ART to reach the political agenda via single-issue movements and political parties willing to accept their views. However, ART proved different in this respect. Nevertheless, the discussion and regulation of ART fits into Dutch political culture: Trying to find a regulation that almost everyone can approve, which often results in a procedural approach. The Dutch regulation of ART can be characterized as permissive regarding the people who may have access to ART (couples, singles, homosexuals), moderately restrictive regarding the techniques permitted (for example, with respect to embryo research and pre-implantation genetic testing, and human rights-oriented (protection of life, right to personality, equality).

Engeli et al. (2012) developed the “two worlds of morality politics theory” (TWMP) in order to explain why morality issues in some Western European countries are addressed in the arena of parliamentary politics and lead to passionate debates between political parties, whereas in other countries, these are left to expert committees to decide on in relative silence. As ART also counts as a morality issue, first, this chapter will address the question of whether this theory also fits with some of the cases of ART policy making as addressed in our compilation. The TWMP’s hypothesis that a religious-secular cleavage in the party system drives the politicization of morality issues is confirmed – more or less – by comparing the Dutch and the Austrian country cases – both belonging to the religious world – with the Swedish. However, the Austrian case offers a puzzle, as in comparison to the Dutch case, it shows a much lower degree of politicization of ART issues. Second, this chapter tries to solve this puzzle by addressing insights about wedge issue politics.

In the last decade, the European Commission (EC) developed an ambitious strategy to promote RRI across the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (H2020). This effort resulted in a significant number of European-funded projects that substantially expanded the available knowledge of the theory, methods and implementation of RRI. However, various evaluations and studies revealed a limited and diffuse implementation of the concept. In this article, we aim to shed some light on this matter with a study covering eight programme lines of H2020 (ERC, MSCA, LEIT, FOOD, ENV, SEC, WIDENING and EURATOM). We employ an extensive policy document analysis and 112 semi-structured interviews carried out with various stakeholders. We argue that the limited implementation of RRI in H2020 is the result of conflicts with existing values, science cultures, economic objectives, restricted resources for its implementation and a lack of clarification around what RRI means.

In this paper, we introduce the Societal Readiness (SR) Thinking Tool to aid researchers and innovators in developing research projects with greater responsiveness to societal values, needs, and expectations. The need for societally-focused approaches to research and innovation—complementary to Technology Readiness (TR) frameworks—is presented. Insights from responsible research and innovation (RRI) concepts and practice, organized across critical stages of project-life cycles are discussed with reference to the development of the SR Thinking Tool. The tool is designed to complement not only shortfalls in TR approaches, but also improve upon other eforts to integrate RRI, sustainability, and design thinking in research and innovation cycles. Operationalization and early-stage user tests of the Tool are reported, along with discussion of potential future iterations and applications.

The aim of this chapter is to outline the overall Danish legal framework for the regulation of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and discuss how and why this particular regulation came about. The Danish regulation of ART contains numerous issues that could be highlighted for discussion. For the purpose of comparison with the other chapters of this book, the elements of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), egg-donation and surrogacy are highlighted although most issues relating to ART were subject to parliamentary debate concurrently as these issues are all regulated in a single Act., Although infertility is recognized as a disease by the World Health Organization, Danish patients suffering from reproductive diseases are not treated equally to patients suffering from other somatic diseases. Access to treatment under the national health plan is limited to three cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and is conditional on a certain age, whether or not any joint children (in fresh cycles) already exist, and parental ability. Access to treatment in the private sector is more liberal; although maternal age can be 45 years as opposed to 40 in the public system, the treatment itself carries almost the same prohibitions and regulations in terms of what is permissible and what is not. Denmark is a hub for cross-border reproductive care for single and lesbian women who do have access to treatment. The use of assisted reproduction is high; with 10–12% of annual births through assisted reproduction, Denmark is home to the world’s largest sperm bank yet prohibits the sale of eggs. Danish regulations are both prohibitive and liberal, and this chapter seeks to understand how these particular regulations were shaped and evolved over time.