Comparative, collaborative, and integrative risk governance for emerging technologies

Igor Linkov (), Benjamin D. Trump (), Elke Anklam (), David Berube (), Patrick Boisseasu (), Christopher Cummings (), Scott Ferson (), Marie-Valentine Florin (), Bernard Goldstein (), Danail Hristozov (), Keld Alstrup Jensen (), Georgios Katalagarianakis, Jennifer Kuzma (), James H. Lambert (), Timothy Malloy (), Ineke Malsch (), Antonio Marcomini (), Myriam Merad (), José Palma-Oliveira (), Edward Perkins (), Ortwin Renn (), Thomas Seager (), Vicki Stone (), Daniel Vallero () and Theo Vermeire ()
Additional contact information
Igor Linkov: US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Benjamin D. Trump: US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Elke Anklam: European Commission, Joint Research Centre
David Berube: North Carolina State University
Patrick Boisseasu: European Nanomedicine Laboratory
Christopher Cummings: Nanyang Technological University
Scott Ferson: University of Liverpool
Marie-Valentine Florin: IRGC, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Bernard Goldstein: University of Pittsburgh
Danail Hristozov: Ca’Foscari University of Venice
Keld Alstrup Jensen: National Research Centre for the Working Environment
Georgios Katalagarianakis: European Commission
Jennifer Kuzma: North Carolina State University
James H. Lambert: University of Virginia
Timothy Malloy: University of California at Los Angeles
Ineke Malsch: Malsch TechnoValuation
Antonio Marcomini: Ca’Foscari University of Venice
Myriam Merad: UMR ESPACE and UMR LAMSADE PSL, CNRS
José Palma-Oliveira: Universidade de Lisboa
Edward Perkins: US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Ortwin Renn: Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies
Thomas Seager: Arizona State University
Vicki Stone: Heriot-Watt University
Daniel Vallero: US Environmental Protection Agency
Theo Vermeire: National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM)

Environment Systems and Decisions, 2018, vol. 38, issue 2, 170-176

Abstract: Abstract Various emerging technologies challenge existing governance processes to identify, assess, and manage risk. Though the existing risk-based paradigm has been essential for assessment of many chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear technologies, a complementary approach may be warranted for the early-stage assessment and management challenges of high uncertainty technologies ranging from nanotechnology to synthetic biology to artificial intelligence, among many others. This paper argues for a risk governance approach that integrates quantitative experimental information alongside qualitative expert insight to characterize and balance the risks, benefits, costs, and societal implications of emerging technologies. Various articles in scholarly literature have highlighted differing points of how to address technological uncertainty, and this article builds upon such knowledge to explain how an emerging technology risk governance process should be driven by a multi-stakeholder effort, incorporate various disparate sources of information, review various endpoints and outcomes, and comparatively assess emerging technology performance against existing conventional products in a given application area. At least in the early stages of development when quantitative data for risk assessment remain incomplete or limited, such an approach can be valuable for policymakers and decision makers to evaluate the impact that such technologies may have upon human and environmental health.

Keywords: Synthetic biology; Biotechnology; Nanotechnology; Governance; Risk assessment; Policy; Decision analysis; Regulations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10669-018-9686-5

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