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Handbook of Technology Assessment
This Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of technology assessment (TA) practices, theories, methods and cultures across the globe. Highlighting the significant influence of rapidly changing technology on human life and development, it examines diverse perspectives on how TA can be developed to better meet the challenges of the future.
This title contains one or more Open Access chapters.
This title contains one or more Open Access chapters.
More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contents
More Information
This Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of technology assessment (TA) practices, theories, methods and cultures across the globe. Highlighting the significant influence of rapidly changing technology on human life and development, it examines diverse perspectives on how TA can be developed to better meet the challenges of the future.
Covering both theory and methodology, expert contributors analyse the deep changes caused by technological advances at the individual, collective and global level. They identify approaches and methods that can lead to informed, considered decisions on technology and responsible handling of their consequences. Chapters explore a wide range of TA applications across different cultural contexts as well as in various fields including AI, climate engineering, healthcare and work.
Drawing on extensive practical experiences from a global movement, this Handbook is an invaluable resource for scholars and practitioners of technology assessment. It is also an important guide for students of science and technology studies, the ethics of technology, risk assessment, and responsible research and innovation.
Covering both theory and methodology, expert contributors analyse the deep changes caused by technological advances at the individual, collective and global level. They identify approaches and methods that can lead to informed, considered decisions on technology and responsible handling of their consequences. Chapters explore a wide range of TA applications across different cultural contexts as well as in various fields including AI, climate engineering, healthcare and work.
Drawing on extensive practical experiences from a global movement, this Handbook is an invaluable resource for scholars and practitioners of technology assessment. It is also an important guide for students of science and technology studies, the ethics of technology, risk assessment, and responsible research and innovation.
Critical Acclaim
‘There is no sector of science and technology so specific that major questions do not arise about which directions to prioritise for progress. Key queries are more about values, interests and politics than technical expertise. To resist authoritarian technocracy, deliberate efforts are essential to balance the powerful forces and privileged interests presently shaping innovation. For decades this has been the core challenge of technology assessment. Here, there could be no better collection of editor, chapters and authors than those behind this rich and authoritative overview of the state of the art.’
– Andrew Stirling, Sussex University, UK
‘Editor Armin Grunwald has assembled a “who’s who” of technology assessment scholars and practitioners for this first, amazingly comprehensive international Handbook of TA. This reflection on and guide to TA could not have arrived at a better time than this moment, disturbed as it is with technological and environmental challenges and the rumblings of world-wide anti-democratic forces. Better TA, as outlined in this volume, could help make a better Anthropocene.’
– David H. Guston, Arizona State University, USA
‘Modern societies have largely failed to take seriously the challenges of governing technological change for human good. This Handbook provides an essential resource for beginning to redress this failure, by assembling the intellectual building blocks of a technology assessment endeavor that could advance the reconciliation of human ingenuity and collective well-being.’
– Daniel Sarewitz (emeritus), Arizona State University, USA
‘This is a stunning collection of narratives, analyses, methodologies, and critical philosophical takes on technology assessment theory and practice across as many venues as can be imagined. Impossible to offer any future discourse without referencing this volume.’
– Carl Mitcham, Colorado School of Mines, USA
– Andrew Stirling, Sussex University, UK
‘Editor Armin Grunwald has assembled a “who’s who” of technology assessment scholars and practitioners for this first, amazingly comprehensive international Handbook of TA. This reflection on and guide to TA could not have arrived at a better time than this moment, disturbed as it is with technological and environmental challenges and the rumblings of world-wide anti-democratic forces. Better TA, as outlined in this volume, could help make a better Anthropocene.’
– David H. Guston, Arizona State University, USA
‘Modern societies have largely failed to take seriously the challenges of governing technological change for human good. This Handbook provides an essential resource for beginning to redress this failure, by assembling the intellectual building blocks of a technology assessment endeavor that could advance the reconciliation of human ingenuity and collective well-being.’
– Daniel Sarewitz (emeritus), Arizona State University, USA
‘This is a stunning collection of narratives, analyses, methodologies, and critical philosophical takes on technology assessment theory and practice across as many venues as can be imagined. Impossible to offer any future discourse without referencing this volume.’
– Carl Mitcham, Colorado School of Mines, USA
Contents
Contents
List of contributors ix
Preface xxii
1 Introduction to the Handbook of Technology Assessment 1
Armin Grunwald
PART I THE CONTEXT OF TA
2 Technology policy and governance 12
Jakob Edler and Florian Wittmann
3 Technoscience: changing relationships between science, technology and
society 22
Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent
4 The changing nature of innovation 32
Harro van Lente and Alexandra Supper
5 Demands for, and motivations of, technology assessment 42
Michael Decker and Armin Grunwald
PART II TA PRACTICE FIELDS
SECTION IIA INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS
6 Viewing technology assessment as science advice 54
Chris Tyler and Armin Grunwald
7 Participatory technology assessment: TA and the public 64
Lars Klüver
8 Technology assessment in science and engineering: theory, policy and
practice of integration research 77
Mareike Smolka and Erik Fisher
SECTION IIB CASE STUDIES: TECHNOLOGIES
9 Nuclear power: technology assessment and ethics of technology in interaction 90
Behnam Taebi, Vincent Lagendijk, Romy Dekker and Rinie van Est
10 Autonomous vehicles and autonomous mobility 100
Torsten Fleischer and Jens Schippl
11 Assessing chatbots from a sociotechnical perspective 111
Rinie van Est, Linda Kool and Lambèr Royakkers
12 Genome editing for human health 121
Steffen Albrecht and Arnold Sauter
13 Technology assessment for health and care 131
Armin Grunwald
14 Climate engineering: how to present unbiased information to
policymakers and the public through technology assessments 141
Katrina Pekar-Carpenter and Karen L. Howard
15 Assessing technologies in industrial production: from old to recent
controversies 151
Bettina-Johanna Krings and António Moniz
SECTION IIC CASE STUDIES: STATES AND REGIONS
16 Technology assessment in the United States: reinvention and reinvigoration 162
Timothy Persons
17 Parliamentary technology assessment (PTA) in Latin America 173
Raimundo Roberts
18 China’s progress in technology assessment: a systematic review 183
Lei Huang, Liang Mei, Miao Liao and Yandong Zhao
19 The institutionalisation and practice of technology assessment in India 191
Aviram Sharma and Poonam Pandey
20 Technology assessment and TA-like activities in Japan 200
Hideaki Shiroyama and Makiko Matsuo
21 Technology assessment in Central and Eastern Europe: patterns and catalysts 208
Tanja Sinozic-Martinez, Titus Udrea and Michael Nentwich
22 Technology assessment in engineering education in Russia 217
Elena Seredkina, Elena Gavrilina, Natalia Cherepanova and Liliya Tukhvatulina
23 Technology assessment in Africa: capacity needs and opportunities 226
John Ouma Mugabe and Josephine Kaviti Musango
PART III TOWARDS A TA THEORY
SECTION IIIA ELEMENTS OF TA THEORY
24 Epistemology: knowledge of and for technology assessment 237
Stefan Böschen, Gabriele Gramelsberger and Jan Cornelius Schmidt
25 Ethics and technology assessment 247
Sven Ove Hansson
26 Technology assessment and democratic theories: a critical review 257
Pierre Delvenne and Céline Parotte
SECTION IIIB THEORY-GUIDED TA APPROACHES
27 Constructive technology assessment: supporting the reflexive
co-evolution of technology and society 268
Douglas K.R. Robinson
28 Hermeneutic technology assessment 279
Wenzel Mehnert and Armin Grunwald
29 Techno-anthropological technology assessment 289
Lars Botin and Tom Børsen
30 Design for values 299
Ibo van de Poel
31 Technology assessment in innovation systems 308
Ingrid Ott
PART IV THE TA METHODOLOGY
SECTION IVA TA AS A PROCESS
32 Technology assessment and evaluation 322
Christine Rösch
33 Beyond systems analysis to a multidimensional approach in technology
assessment 330
Roh Pin Lee and Witold-Roger Poganietz
34 Multidirectional knowledge transfer in various technology assessment practices 341
Constanze Scherz and Anne-Floor Scholvinck
35 Technology assessment as transdisciplinary research 352
Antonietta Di Giulio and Rico Defila
SECTION IVB TECHNIQUES FROM THE TA TOOLBOX
36 Participation and engagement 364
Phil Macnaghten
37 Future-oriented technology assessment (FTA): developments via
foresight and anticipation 374
Fabiana Scapolo, Cristiano Cagnin, Lucia Vesnic Alujevic, Alexandre
Polvora and Susana Nascimento
38 Digital methods for technology assessment 385
Pauline Riousset, Anders Koed Madsen, Nicolas Baya-Laffite and Lionel Villard
39 Hermeneutical understanding 395
Nina Janich
PART V NEIGHBOURS
40 Responsible research and innovation 407
Alexei Grinbaum
41 Impact assessment versus technology assessment: distant relatives or
different species? 416
Alan Bond, Jiří Dusik and Miltos Ladikas
42 Exploring synergies: comparative analysis of technology assessment
and RRI in European industrial contexts 428
Emad Yaghmaei, Zenlin Kwee, Martijn Wiarda and Steven Flipse
43 Technology assessment for a ‘good’ Anthropocene 438
Armin Grunwald
List of contributors ix
Preface xxii
1 Introduction to the Handbook of Technology Assessment 1
Armin Grunwald
PART I THE CONTEXT OF TA
2 Technology policy and governance 12
Jakob Edler and Florian Wittmann
3 Technoscience: changing relationships between science, technology and
society 22
Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent
4 The changing nature of innovation 32
Harro van Lente and Alexandra Supper
5 Demands for, and motivations of, technology assessment 42
Michael Decker and Armin Grunwald
PART II TA PRACTICE FIELDS
SECTION IIA INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS
6 Viewing technology assessment as science advice 54
Chris Tyler and Armin Grunwald
7 Participatory technology assessment: TA and the public 64
Lars Klüver
8 Technology assessment in science and engineering: theory, policy and
practice of integration research 77
Mareike Smolka and Erik Fisher
SECTION IIB CASE STUDIES: TECHNOLOGIES
9 Nuclear power: technology assessment and ethics of technology in interaction 90
Behnam Taebi, Vincent Lagendijk, Romy Dekker and Rinie van Est
10 Autonomous vehicles and autonomous mobility 100
Torsten Fleischer and Jens Schippl
11 Assessing chatbots from a sociotechnical perspective 111
Rinie van Est, Linda Kool and Lambèr Royakkers
12 Genome editing for human health 121
Steffen Albrecht and Arnold Sauter
13 Technology assessment for health and care 131
Armin Grunwald
14 Climate engineering: how to present unbiased information to
policymakers and the public through technology assessments 141
Katrina Pekar-Carpenter and Karen L. Howard
15 Assessing technologies in industrial production: from old to recent
controversies 151
Bettina-Johanna Krings and António Moniz
SECTION IIC CASE STUDIES: STATES AND REGIONS
16 Technology assessment in the United States: reinvention and reinvigoration 162
Timothy Persons
17 Parliamentary technology assessment (PTA) in Latin America 173
Raimundo Roberts
18 China’s progress in technology assessment: a systematic review 183
Lei Huang, Liang Mei, Miao Liao and Yandong Zhao
19 The institutionalisation and practice of technology assessment in India 191
Aviram Sharma and Poonam Pandey
20 Technology assessment and TA-like activities in Japan 200
Hideaki Shiroyama and Makiko Matsuo
21 Technology assessment in Central and Eastern Europe: patterns and catalysts 208
Tanja Sinozic-Martinez, Titus Udrea and Michael Nentwich
22 Technology assessment in engineering education in Russia 217
Elena Seredkina, Elena Gavrilina, Natalia Cherepanova and Liliya Tukhvatulina
23 Technology assessment in Africa: capacity needs and opportunities 226
John Ouma Mugabe and Josephine Kaviti Musango
PART III TOWARDS A TA THEORY
SECTION IIIA ELEMENTS OF TA THEORY
24 Epistemology: knowledge of and for technology assessment 237
Stefan Böschen, Gabriele Gramelsberger and Jan Cornelius Schmidt
25 Ethics and technology assessment 247
Sven Ove Hansson
26 Technology assessment and democratic theories: a critical review 257
Pierre Delvenne and Céline Parotte
SECTION IIIB THEORY-GUIDED TA APPROACHES
27 Constructive technology assessment: supporting the reflexive
co-evolution of technology and society 268
Douglas K.R. Robinson
28 Hermeneutic technology assessment 279
Wenzel Mehnert and Armin Grunwald
29 Techno-anthropological technology assessment 289
Lars Botin and Tom Børsen
30 Design for values 299
Ibo van de Poel
31 Technology assessment in innovation systems 308
Ingrid Ott
PART IV THE TA METHODOLOGY
SECTION IVA TA AS A PROCESS
32 Technology assessment and evaluation 322
Christine Rösch
33 Beyond systems analysis to a multidimensional approach in technology
assessment 330
Roh Pin Lee and Witold-Roger Poganietz
34 Multidirectional knowledge transfer in various technology assessment practices 341
Constanze Scherz and Anne-Floor Scholvinck
35 Technology assessment as transdisciplinary research 352
Antonietta Di Giulio and Rico Defila
SECTION IVB TECHNIQUES FROM THE TA TOOLBOX
36 Participation and engagement 364
Phil Macnaghten
37 Future-oriented technology assessment (FTA): developments via
foresight and anticipation 374
Fabiana Scapolo, Cristiano Cagnin, Lucia Vesnic Alujevic, Alexandre
Polvora and Susana Nascimento
38 Digital methods for technology assessment 385
Pauline Riousset, Anders Koed Madsen, Nicolas Baya-Laffite and Lionel Villard
39 Hermeneutical understanding 395
Nina Janich
PART V NEIGHBOURS
40 Responsible research and innovation 407
Alexei Grinbaum
41 Impact assessment versus technology assessment: distant relatives or
different species? 416
Alan Bond, Jiří Dusik and Miltos Ladikas
42 Exploring synergies: comparative analysis of technology assessment
and RRI in European industrial contexts 428
Emad Yaghmaei, Zenlin Kwee, Martijn Wiarda and Steven Flipse
43 Technology assessment for a ‘good’ Anthropocene 438
Armin Grunwald
