Science and Technology Studies Commons^™

Primitive Accumulation And Enclosure Of The Commons: Genetically Engineered Seeds And Canadian Jurisprudence, Wilhelm Peekhaus

Wilhelm Peekhaus

This paper juxtaposes the legal decisions made in the case of Percy Schmeiser, who was sued by Monsanto for patent infringement, against the attempt by the Organic Agriculture Protection Fund to obtain class certification in its efforts to sue Monsanto and Bayer for genetic contamination of organic canola. Together these two cases establish an unacceptable incongruity at common law between the rights enjoyed by intellectual property owners and any corresponding duties that might attach to their inventions. I suggest that Marx’s concept of primitive accumulation offers a suitable theoretical register for apprehending contemporary erosions of the commons through the enclosure …

Public Policy Instruments In (Re)Building National Innovation Capabilities: Cases Of Nanotechnology Development In China, Russia And Brazil, Evgeny A. Klochikhin

Evgeny A. Klochikhin

In 2001 Goldman Sachs named Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs) the most rapidly-growing countries in the world capable of surpassing the United States, Japan and Europe as leading economies by 2050.

Nevertheless, for the last decade we have learned relatively little about the mechanisms of success and failure in these countries. All of them have huge territory and population as well as fast-growing economies that sometimes show two-digit rates of GDP growth per year and surprise the world by their increasing budgets and public spending. In the meantime, most of these countries are believed to be desperately struggling against …

Datenschutzaspekte Smarter Überwachung, Michael Friedewald, Marc Langheinrich

Michael Friedewald

Kurz&bündig Moderne «intelligente» Überwachungssysteme sollen den Bürger besser vor Terrorismus und organisierter Kriminalität schützen, greifen potentiell aber tief in die Privatsphäre des Einzelnen ein. Das EU-Forschungsprojekt SAPIENT untersucht die Risiken solcher intelligenten Überwachungstechniken und erarbeitet Verfahren, um diese im Einklang mit Menschenrechten und unter Beachtung des sozialen und gemeinschaftlichen Zusammenhalts gestalten zu können.

Precaution And Privacy Impact Assessment As Modes Towards Risk Governance, David Wright, RaphaëL Gellert, Serge Gutwirth, Michael Friedewald

Michael Friedewald

No abstract provided.

Broadening Participation Through E-Petitions? An Empirical Study Of Petitions To The German Parliament, Ralf Lindner

Ralf Lindner

Petitioning is a well established form of political participation in most liberal democracies, but little is known about petitioners, their socio-demographics, motivations and assessments of petitioning processes. In 2005, the German parliament introduced public e-petitions which are submitted, signed and discussed on the Internet. This article reports a 2007 survey of 571 traditional and 350 e-petitioners. The results indicate that both petitioner samples are characterised by an above average level of general political participation and Internet use. Users of the e-petition system are younger than traditional petitioners, but the group continues to be dominated by men and those with higher …

Hacia La Construcción De Políticas Públicas Globales: Retos Para El Estado Nación De Cara A La Globalización, Mario A. Pinzón Mapc

Mario A Pinzón Camargo

Este artículo analiza los efectos en la idea de Estado nación bajo la lógica de la globalización. Examina los retos para el Estado en la construcción de políticas públicas globales, la definición de una nueva agenda global y un nuevo sistema institucional desarrollado bajo la lógica de la gobernanza global.

Nanotechnology Policy In Russia: Can An Emerging Technology Push A Country Onto A New Development Trajectory?, Evgeny A. Klochikhin

Evgeny A. Klochikhin

In 2001 Goldman Sachs predicted that a group of emerging markets – Brazil, Russia, India and China – will surpass leading economies by 2050. Nevertheless, we seem to have studied little about the mechanisms of success and failure in these countries in the recent decade. In this paper I focus on one of these giants – Russia – which seems seriously understudied but retains important creative and science and technology potential capable of pushing the country onto a new development trajectory.

Russia sees nanotechnology as one of the major technological platforms that could help it achieve the established growth objectives. …

Construyendo Políticas Públicas Globales: Una Aproximación Al Marco Teórico De Estudio. Working Paper N. 5, Mario A. Pinzón Mapc

Mario A Pinzón Camargo

El objetivo de este artículo es proporcionar un marco teórico a partir del cual sea posible hablar de las políticas públicas globales, como categoría de análisis de la gobernanza global. Se presenta una aproximación teórica basada en la teoría de la elección racional.

El Desarrollo De La Ciencia Política En México. Una Mirada A Través De Los Estudios Sobre El Estado De La Disiciplina, J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

J. R. Joel Flores-Mariscal

Se presenta una revisión de los títulos publicados hasta 2009 que han analizado la situación de la ciencia política en México o algún aspecto de ésta. Destaca el crecimiento y la diversificación de autores e instituciones, de las revistas publicadas y de los enfoques y temas recurrentes. Hasta fines de los años noventa se ven autores recurrentes y momentos de auge en las publicaciones asociados a coyunturas como congresos, procesos de modificación a planes de estudio, etc., Después de estos años hay la emergencia de nuevos autores y enfoques de estudio, y que el desarrollo de estos trabajos en su …

If Post-Normal Science Is The Solution, What Is The Problem?, Robert Hoppe, Anne Wesselink

Robert Hoppe

Post-normal science (PNS) is presented by its proponents as a new way of doing science that deals with uncertainties, value diversity or antagonism, and high decision stakes and urgency, with the ultimate goal of remedying the pathologies of the global industrial system for which, according to Funtowicz and Ravetz (1993, 739) existing science forms the basis. We critically examine whether PNS can fulfil this claim in the light of empirical and theoretical work on politics and policymaking. We credit PNS as innovative frontrunner in raising important issues regarding the limited problem-solving capacity of ‘normal science’ and ‘professional consultancy’. Yet, we …

The Use Of Environmental Health And Safety Research In Nanotechnology Research, Jan Youtie, Alan L. Porter, Philip Shapira, Li Tang, Troy Benn

Philip Shapira

Environmental, health, and safety (EHS) concerns are receiving considerable attention in the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology (nano) R&D, underscored by the perspective that EHS work should be developed alongside the scientific research rather than subsequent to applications. This positioning of nano EHS suggests the importance of early understanding and measurement of the diffusion of nano EHS science. This research examines the diffusion of nano EHS publications, defined through a set of search terms, into a global nanotechnology R&D database developed at Georgia Tech. The results indicate that nano EHS research is growing rapidly although it is orders of magnitude …

Minimizing Technology Risks With Pias, Precaution And Participation, Raphael Gellert, David Wright, Serge Gutwirth, Michael Friedewald

Michael Friedewald

Privacy impact assessment can be seen as a tool for responsible research and innovation (RRI). RRI can be defined as a transparent, interactive process by which societal actors and innovators become mutually responsive to each other with a view on the (ethical) acceptability, sustainability and societal desirability of the innovation process and its marketable products in order to allow a proper embedding of scientific and technological advances in our society [1]. Such a definition is close to how one could define privacy impact assessment (PIA), i.e., PIA is a process of engaging stakeholders in order to consider how privacy might …

Computersoftware Als Digitales Erbe: Probleme Aus Sicht Der Technikgeschichte, Michael Friedewald, Timo Leimbach

Michael Friedewald

No abstract provided.

Innovation Cooperation: Energy Biosciences And Law, Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

This Article analyzes the development and dissemination of environmentally sound technologies that can address climate change. Climate change poses catastrophic health and security risks on a global scale. Universities, individual innovators, private firms, civil society, governments, and the United Nations can unite in the common goal to address climate change. This Article recommends means by which legal, scientific, engineering, and a host of other public and private actors can bring environmentally sound innovation into widespread use to achieve sustainable development. In particular, universities can facilitate this collaboration by fostering global innovation and diffusion networks.

Cancun Climate Negotiations, Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

Prof. Elizabeth Burleson

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, held from November 29 to December 11, 2010, in Cancún, Mexico, relaunched the United Nation's multilateral facilitation role.