Knowing when to talk? Plant genome editing as a site for pre-engagement institutional reflexivity

Citizen and stakeholder engagement is frequently portrayed as vital for socially accountable science policy but there is a growing understanding of how institutional dynamics shape engagement exercises in ways that prevent them from realising their full potential. Limited attention has been devoted to developing the means to expose institutional features, allow policy-makers to reflect on how they will shape engagement and respond appropriately. Here, therefore, we develop and test a methodological framework to facilitate pre-engagement institutional reflexivity with one of the United Kingdom's eminent science organisations as it grappled with a new, high-profile and politicised technology, genome editing. We show how this approach allowed policy-makers to reflect on their institutional position and enrich decision-making at a time when they faced pressure to legitimate decisions with engagement. Further descriptions of such pre-engagement institutional reflexivity are needed to better bridge theory and practice in the social studies of science.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:30

Enthalten in:

Public understanding of science (Bristol, England) - 30(2021), 6 vom: 24. Aug., Seite 740-758

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Smith, Robert D J [VerfasserIn]
Hartley, Sarah [VerfasserIn]
Middleton, Patrick [VerfasserIn]
Jewitt, Tracey [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Genome editing
Institutional reflexivity
Journal Article
Public engagement
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research funding organisations
Science policy

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 12.04.2022

Date Revised 07.11.2023

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1177/0963662521999796

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM323694403