Governing Emerging Technologies

Discussions of Science and Technology Policy (STP) often get lost in the thicket of debates over research and development (R&D) funding, or in intellectually unsatisfying explorations of the technical areas or social interests that underlie STP. This Gordon Research Conference (GRC) seeks to expand the scope of STP theory, research, and practice to include broader aspects of governance, through a focus on a series of case studies of emerging technologies whose potential global consequences are apparent only in anticipation and whose manifestations are still being shaped by local, domestic, and international institutions. These emerging technologies include nanotechnologies, technologies associated with genetic modification and synthetic biology, and information and neuro-technologies. To thematize the focus on governance of these emerging technologies, this GRC will examine four main issues: 1) anticipation of the kinds of transformations these technologies will create; 2) engagement with various publics over the values that underpin work on these technologies; 3) integration of social science and humanist inquiry with scientific and technical work in these areas; and 4) implementation of a variety of governance mechanisms that cover the wide spectrum between completely laissez faire and highly interventionist approaches. Because these technologies are rapidly emerging across the globe, often through collaborative undertakings, and because they are governed formally and informally at different levels in different societies, the GRC on STP will necessarily have an international flavor and examine a range of norms and values implicated in the development and governance of these technologies.