Technology Assessment in a Globalized World : Facing the Challenges of Transnational Technology Governance

This open access book explores the relevance of the concept of technology assessment (TA) on an international and global level. Technologies play a key role in addressing global challenges such as climate change, population aging, digitization, and health. At the same time, their use increases the need for coordinated action and governance at the global level in the field of science, technology and innovation (STI). 

Featuring case studies on STI fields such as energy, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and health technology, as well as TA activities at the national and international levels, this book reflects on the challenges and opportunities of global technology governance. It also provides an in-depth discussion of current governmental STI cultures and systems, societal expectations, and the policy priorities needed to achieve coordinated and effective STI intervention in policymaking and public debate at the global level. Lastly, the book promotes the establishment of a forum for a truly global dialogue of TA practitioners, fostering the articulation of their needs, knowledge and perspectives.

Leonhard Hennen, PhD. in Sociology, is a former project manager at the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Parliament, and he was senior researcher at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany. Since 2006 up to his retirement in 2021 he had been coordinator of the European Technology Assessment Group, which carries out TA studies on behalf of the European Parliament. His research interests: include concepts of TA, Participation in S&T policy making, responsible research and innovation.

Julia Hahn has been a researcher at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany since 2011, working on participatory methods and Responsible Research and Innovation. Developing a global framework for the assessment of impacts of (new) technologies is a further focus for her.

Miltos Ladikas is senior researcher at ITAS, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He holds a PhD in social psychology and has coordinated a number of international projects in the areas of science, technology and innovation policy, and technology assessment. His work focuses on global aspects of technology assessment, responsible innovation, ethics in science and technology policy, and science diplomacy.

Ralf Lindner is head of the Department Policy & Society and Coordinator for Technology Assessment and Governance at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in Karlsruhe, Germany. He received his PhD in political science from the University of Augsburg. His research interests include responsible governance approaches for emerging technologies and transformative change.

Walter Peissl holds a PhD in social and economic sciences and is a long-term technology assessment expert. The focus of his work is in the field of the information society, digitalization, the protection of privacy and on methodological issues of technology assessment. He has been deputy director of the Institute of Technology Assessment ITA in Vienna (Austria) since 1990.