Assessing the Impact of Technology Assessment, Responsible Research and Innovation and Sustainability Research: Towards a Common Methodological Approach

Miltos Ladikas, Julia Hahn and Lei Huang
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Miltos Ladikas: Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, G-76135 Karlsruhe, Germany
Julia Hahn: Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, G-76135 Karlsruhe, Germany
Lei Huang: Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, G-76135 Karlsruhe, Germany

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: The missions of Technology Assessment (TA), Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and Sustainability Research (SR) are similar in their relationship to Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). Although adopting different terminology, the three research fields show great conceptual and methodological overlaps, as all three react to societal demands and policy needs via common tools. The impact of TA, RRI and SR is linked directly, but its assessment requires new thinking in terms of common conceptual and methodological approaches. The paper provides an overview of the current discussion on societal impact assessment and identifies areas of particular interest for the three fields. It describes the current discussions on impact assessment and impact indicators in each field and undertakes a bibliometric analysis that shows clear inter-relationships in terms of thematic focus and a common emphasis on impact in all three fields. Following this analysis, the paper argues for a common impact assessment methodology for TA, RRI and SR, under the notion of resonance and based on the concepts of anticipation, reflection and inclusion.

Keywords: technology assessment; responsible research and innovation; sustainability research; impact assessment; indicators of impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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