General remarks on technology assessment

Our world and our society are profoundly influenced by technology; it has helped raise our standard of living, but has also brought about particular problems. As prosperity increases so technology penetrates into more and more diverse areas. Accessible "mechanical" technologies are increasingly being replaced by "inaccessible" electronic and chemical technologies. Apart from ever present fear that technology could cause unemployment, there is also a more recent fear that it could destroy the fundamentals of our lives.

Fear and uncertainty about the consequences of new technologies are not only social problems. They also present a considerable challenge for policy-makers who can at least influence developments through legislation and administration (research, technology and industrial policies). The complex consequences of new technologies are not readily understood by the layman, and experts are also less and less unanimous in their opinions. This is inevitable given the prognostic nature of technology assessment and also the different yardsticks and approaches: those who are looking for the benefits of new technologies (e.g. new drugs) will have a very different attitude to gene technology experiments compared with those who are fearful of the consequences of releasing genetically modified organisms or of manipulation of the human genotype.

Technology assessment attempts to provide policy-makers with a rational basis for their decisions. It does not provide "super expert opinions", but points out areas where specialists are in general agreement, where controversy exists, what assumptions or fears lie behind the differences of opinion, and what risks are associated with the various possible options. It highlights facts that policy-makers can assume to be accepted and the problems that they have to solve through political decisions – or value judgements. By focusing on political discussion of relevant questions the decision-making process can be made simpler, more objective and efficient.

Technology assessment provides input for the elaboration of technology policies which are not oriented exclusively towards technical efficiency and economic rationality but which also consider the social and ecological consequences of the introduction of specific technologies.

The classic aim of technology assessment is to identify technology-induced risks early enough, to analyse in detail the range of possible social, economic, legal, political, cultural and ecological effects, to process investigation results in a problem-oriented manner, to present alternative decision-oriented options, and at the same time to point out the various social interests and value judgements linked with the development and use of new technologies. New insights into the nature of technological change have stimulated the further development of this TA concept. It is based on the realisation that technical developments are ultimately influenced by society and not determined solely by their own logic. This calls for a wider vision of TA, one which takes account of design-related factors and forces in the R&D process and their application in a specific technology, and which also allows social discussion of the objects and options of technological development. Thus the core analytical functions of TA are supplemented by constructive design and discussion-provoking functions. They are reflected in the terms "constructive", "discursive" or "participatory" technology assessment.

The most significant methodology of technology assessment, its approaches and the different forms of institutionalisation are described below together with an introduction to the only Austrian institution specialising in TA, the Institute of Technology Assessment () of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, its projects and its staff.

TA methods

"Technology Assessment" (TA) uses an interdisciplinary approach in its systematic and comprehensive analysis of the possible consequences of the use of particular technologies (not necessarily "new" ones). On the basis of the information gained in this way options can be devised for those involved in policy-making and the control of technology. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of unintended and generally long-term secondary or tertiary effects.

Because of the nature of the object of research and the interdisciplinary composition of the research team, a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods are used: brainstorming, literature research, document analysis, expert consultation, case studies, cross-impact analysis, cost/benefit analysis, computer simulations, scenario development, and also certain processes calling for public involvement. The methods must be adapted to the subject under investigation.

There is no such thing as a "technology assessment method" as such, because it is not a single method but the variety of methods – or method mix – and specific procedure that characterise a successful investigation.

There is, however, a typical routine for the implementation of TA studies. The main components are as follows:

Approaches to technology assessment

A distinction can be made between project-induced, technology-induced and problem-induced technology assessment studies.

Project-induced TA studies are investigations into the possible consequences of a specific project (e.g. power stations, highway engineering, etc.). Where the focus is on environmental aspects, these studies are also known as "environmental compatibility studies" (ECS). In these cases a study focusing on one important aspect is favoured over the global TA approach.

Technology-induced TA studies are concerned with the impact of a specific technology on society and the natural environment. Examples here include specific information technology or genetic engineering applications.

In the problem-induced approach the main focus is on identifying the different possible solutions to an existing or future social problem. Possible political responses can be suggested through comparative assessment of alternative technological development paths. Examples here include TA studies into traffic, energy supply and utilisation, or waste problems.

The scope and depth of analysis in TA studies can vary considerably. Macro-assessments (comprehensive assessments) are in keeping with the global TA approach and require 10 to 30 man years to complete. Mini-assessments are scaled down to one to three man years and are used to analyse a limited problem in detail or a broad problem in general terms. Less detailed micro-assessments can provide policy-makers with information at short notice and tend to be in the form of literature analysis and extended brainstorming. They take around three man months.

Institutionalisation of technology assessment

Three different TA institutionalisation models have evolved. They differ in terms of:

	clients and financial backers,
	study implementation (by the institute itself or by external bodies), and
	the extent of public involvement.

The classic TA model is the one used by the US Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), which is notable for its expert orientation, high in-house expertise, and the indirect involvement of the relevant interest groups. As an office of Congress it is closely linked to the legislative branch.

The Dutch Rathenau Institut may be regarded as a prototype model TA secretariat. It is a mixed institute, financed by the executive, answerable to Parliament, and instituitonalised within the framework of the Royal Academy of Science. Its task is to organise and coordinate large-scale TA studies, usually carried out by external experts.

The participatory model is typified by the Danish Technology Council. This institute is also closely linked to Parliament, but its main focus is on mediating general social discussion of technological development. The model is characterised by its low level of in-house research and the high priority given to public participation.

These different models should not be seen as alternatives; they fulfil different roles, all of which are vital to a modern democracy – albeit to differing degrees: the elaboration of working documents for administrators, the provision of decision aids for Parliament, and the organisation of an information and opinion-forming process for the public. Large-scale TA studies are an essential prerequisite for all these tasks.

Want to know more about TA? This selected bibliography might help!