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Lay Public or Experts? e‐Participation in Authorization for GMO Products in the European Union
Author(s) -
Ferretti Maria Paola,
Lener Matteo
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
review of policy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1541-1338
pISSN - 1541-132X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-1338.2008.00359.x
Subject(s) - scrutiny , european union , european commission , citizen journalism , opposition (politics) , dissent , political science , work (physics) , public administration , authorization , public relations , commission , public participation , dissenting opinion , law , business , politics , engineering , computer science , computer security , mechanical engineering , economic policy
In the European Union, for the first time, lay people can participate directly in the procedure of assessment of GMO (genetically modified organisms) products, an exercise normally reserved for scientists and legal experts. What makes this a unique strategy of participation is that for each single application for authorization, lay people have the opportunity to express their views. This article presents the result of the first in‐depth analysis of this type of Internet participatory exercise in the first years of its implementation. It shows that, despite generally participatory technology assessment aims at deliberative consensus on technical questions, this forum is instead a way to expose the work of regulative authorities to public scrutiny and to express dissent and opposition to the European Commission policy on GMOs.