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Agenda Setting in Emergent R & D Policy Subsystems: Examining Discourse Effects of the 21st C entury N anotechnology R esearch and D evelopment A ct
Author(s) -
Anderson Derrick,
Slade Catherine P.
Publication year - 2013
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/ropr.12033
Subject(s) - legislation , agency (philosophy) , government (linguistics) , public policy , public administration , political science , regulatory agency , public relations , business , sociology , law , social science , linguistics , philosophy
The literature on government responsiveness to societal issues is extensive but provides a mixed assessment of effectiveness. We examine this issue in the case of policy addressing effective and safe management of research and development in the emerging field of nanotechnology. Specifically, we examine the agenda setting effects of the 21st C entury N anotechnology R esearch and D evelopment A ct (the A ct), a piece of legislation designed to be implemented by a network of actors in the nanotechnology research and development policy subsystem. We adopt a public values lens in our examination of discourse related to societal concerns. Policy documents from Congress, an agency, and federal funding recipients are examined. Findings suggest a narrowing of public values discourse around more specific societal concerns in the documents crafted after the A ct was passed.