Scientific Policy Recommendations? Expert Dissent as Authorization of Political Decisions

In the sociological tradition the relation between scientific expertise & policy has been described in terms of domination & determination. The theory of reflexive modernization, in contrast, focuses on the pluralism & multiparadigmatism of science, as it is caused by different interpret...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inLeviathan (Düsseldorf) Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 384 - 399
Main Authors Bogner, Alexander, Menz, Wolfgang
Format Journal Article
LanguageGerman
Published 01.09.2002
Subjects
Decision Making
Experts
Federal Republic of Germany
Legislative Bodies
Politics
Science Society Relationship
Scientific Research
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Summary:In the sociological tradition the relation between scientific expertise & policy has been described in terms of domination & determination. The theory of reflexive modernization, in contrast, focuses on the pluralism & multiparadigmatism of science, as it is caused by different interpretations of new risks. In a critical assessment of this approach we argue that it systematically underestimates the pacifying effects of institutionalized dissent in current society. The decision making of the Deutsche Bundestag on the moral acceptance of stem cell research can serve as an example for the new role of expertise in political decision. The institutionalized dissent -- for example in the form of National Ethics Councils -- may be understood as a symbolic production of the political capacity to act, which changes the political rationality while reproducing the traditional proceedings of decision making. 23 References. Adapted from the source document.
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ISSN:0340-0425