RISK AND THE PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES; ED. BY ROB FLYNN

Scientific and technological innovation continues at a rapid pace, but the public is increasingly aware of possible risks and demanding greater involvement in decisions about new technologies. This edited volume brings together leading social scientists who address recent evidence and debates about public engagement and trust in experts. The chapters consider different methods of public consultation and 'deliberation' in relation to a variety of new technologies, including genetically modified foods, mobile telecommunications, nanotechnology, and hydrogen energy. Scientific And Technological Innovation Is Increasingly Rapid And Having Far-reaching Effects On Society. Major Change Is Occurring In All Aspects Of Our Lives, Most Notably In The Way We Communicate With Each Other, In The Food We Consume, In The Nature Of The Materials Which Form Everyday Objects, And In Future Energy Systems. All Of These Carry Potential Risks And Benefits, And There Has Been Growing Public Concern About Trust In Experts. In Response, There Have Been Attempts To 'engage' The Public In Various Ways And To Assess The Acceptability Of These Innovations. This Volume Brings Together Leading Social Scientists To Present The Most Up-to-date Research About These Topics, And To Examine The Debates About Risk And Public Acceptance Of New Technologies. Risk And The Public Acceptance Of New Technologies / Rob Flynn -- Public Dialogue And The Scientific Citizen / Alan Irwin -- On The Signature Of New Technologies: Materiality, Sociality And Practical Reasoning / Tom Horlick-jones -- Public Acceptance Of New Technologies In Food Products And Production / Arnout R.h. Fisher, Lynn J. Fewer -- Making Sense Of Uncertainty And Precaution: The Example Of Mobile Telecommunications / Julie Barnett, Lada Timotijevic -- Against The Stream: Moving Public Engagement On Nanotechnologies Upstream / Laison Mohr -- Public Acceptability Of Hydrogen Fuel Call Transport And Associated Refueling Infrastructures / Tanya O'garra, Peter Pearson, Susana Mourato -- Social Representations Of Hydrogen Technologies: A Community-owned Wind-hydrogen Project / Fionnguala Sherry-brennan, Hannah Devine-wright, Patrick Devine-wright -- Stakeholder' And Publics' Perception Of Hydrogen Energy Technologies / Miriam Ricci, Paul Bellaby, Rob Flynn -- Technological Transitions And Public Engagement Competing Visions Of Hydrogen Fuel Station / Mike Hodson, Simon Marvin, Victorian Simpson -- Towards A Sustainable Energy Future: Participatory Foresight And Appraisal As A Response To Managing Uncertainty And Contested Social Values / Malcom Eames, William Mcdowall. Edited By Rob Flynn And Paul Bellaby. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Master And Use Copy. Digital Master Created According To Benchmark For Faithful Digital Reproductions Of Monographs And Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. Http://purl.oclc.org/dlf/benchrepro0212 Miaahdl Cover 1 Contents 6 List of Figures and Tables 8 Notes on Contributors 10 Chapter 1 Risk and the Public Acceptance of New Technologies 20 Chapter 2 Public Dialogue and the Scientific Citizen 43 Chapter 3 On the Signature of New Technologies: Materiality, Sociality and Practical Reasoning 60 Chapter 4 Public Acceptance of New Technologies in Food Products and Production 85 Chapter 5 Making Sense of Uncertainty and Precaution: the Example of Mobile Telecommunications 105 Chapter 6 Against the Stream: Moving Public Engagement on Nanotechnologies Upstream 126 Chapter 7 Public Acceptability of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Transport and Associated Refuelling Infrastructures 145 Chapter 8 Social Representations of Hydrogen Technologies: a Community-Owned Wind-Hydrogen Project 173 Chapter 9 Stakeholders’ and Publics’ Perceptions of Hydrogen Energy Technologies 194 Chapter 10 Technological Transitions and Public Engagement: Competing Visions of a Hydrogen Fuel Station 217 Chapter 11 Towards a Sustainable Energy Future: Participatory Foresight and Appraisal as a Response to Managing Uncertainty and Contested Social Values 240 Chapter 12 Conclusions 267 Index 280 A 280 B 280 C 280 D 280 E 280 F 281 G 281 H 281 I 281 K 281 L 281 M 281 N 281 O 281 P 281 Q 282 R 282 S 282 T 282 U 283 V 283 W 283 This edited volume brings together leading social scientists who address recent evidence and debates about public engagement and trust in experts. The chapters consider different methods of public consultation for a variety of new technologies, including genetically modified foods, mobile telecommunications, nanotechnology, and hydrogen energy. Scientific and technological innovation is increasingly rapid and having far-reaching effects on society. Major change is occurring in all aspects of our lives, most notably in the way we communicate with each other, in the food we consume, in the nature of the materials which form everyday objects, and in future energy systems. All of these carry potential risks and benefits, and there has been growing public concern about trust in experts. In response, there have been attempts to 'engage' the public in various ways and to assess the acceptability of these innovations. This volume brings together leading social scientists to present the most up-to-date research about these topics, and to examine the debates about risk and public acceptance of new technologies