title: Science, governance, and public participation: an analysis of decision making on genetic modification in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
abstract: The acceptance of public participation in science and technology governance in liberal democratic contexts is evident in the institutionalization of a variety of mechanisms for participation in recent decades. Yet questions remain about the extent to which institutions have actually transformed their policy practice to embrace democratic governance of techno-scientific decision making. A critical discourse analysis of the response to public participation by the Environmental Risk ManagementAuthority (ERMA), the key decision-making body on genetic modification in Aotearoa/New Zealand, in a specific case demonstrates that ERMA systematically marginalized concerns raised by the public about risk management, ethics, and ecological, economic, and cultural issues in order to give primacy to a positivist, technological worldview. Such delegitimization of public perspectives pre-empts the possibility of the democratic governance of science.
authors.affiliation: Political Science and Public Policy, School of Social Sciences,The University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand pkurian@waikato.ac.nz
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kurian
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000827:Animal Welfare; D003256:Community Participation; D003657:Decision Making; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D011050:Policy Making; D011057:Politics; D012308:Risk Management