Britain strong in science dialogue, concludes international comparison

A comparison of science and technology dialogue projects in different countries has found that the UK performs relatively well when compared with how other countries engage the public. The report, published in December 2010, is the result of research funded by Sciencewise-ERC and carried out by Izwe. It looked at how two-way dialogue on science and technology is carried out at a national level in eight countries, and scored them on a variety of criteria.

The high scores for the UK are particularly encouraging, see page 12 for the score comparisons. The improvements are put down to a shift to more upstream engagement, and a move from a ‘deficit’ model to a more democratic model. However, the report acknowledges that engagement is not yet fully embedded in Government and parliament. The UK is particularly strong on informal and innovative engagement; the report suggests this is partly due to the diversity of actors promoting engagement, including an active NGO and academic sector.

Nevertheless there are valuable lessons to be learnt from other countries. In particular, the research found that countries with permanent, independent technology assessment institutions ‘have a strong basis for embedding public dialogue and participation as a core element in political considerations on the impacts, risks and priorities of science and technology development.’ One such institution is the Danish Board of Technology, which is funded both by government and external institutions. Its mission is to promote discussion about technology, and to advise government on policy. The research implies that the UK should be looking towards such models in order to embed dialogue further.

Other recommendations included framing science and technology dialogue as supporting transparency and the opening-up of policy processes, supporting direct dialogue between Government officials and the public and introducing a statutory commitment to listening to public opinion.