Project Details

Objectives of the PATH Project

• Develop a network of academics, policy-makers, stakeholders (e.g. from industry and NGOs), and members of civic society to exchange knowledge and experience of deliberation in science and technology policy development;
• Analyse the conditions under which existing methods are successful in facilitating dialogue between scientists, policy-makers and the public, and to develop innovative means to improve policy development;
• Explore how different values and interests are best mapped, represented and taken into account at different scales in science-based policy formulation;
• Synthesise information across different contexts about how participatory deliberative and inclusive methods in science-based policy can be advanced within the European Union to establish consultative institutions in policy-making processes.

Summary of the PATH Project

It has been widely recognised within academic and policy circles that deliberation of science-based issues and formulation of policy is no longer the exclusive realm of politicians and experts. In order to develop robust, transparent and effective policies new participatory structures for involving a wide range of actors and the public are urgently required. The aim of the PATH project is to form a network which brings together academics, practitioners, policy-makers and stakeholders to exchange knowledge and develop future directions for the involvement of society in the deliberation of science-based policy issues. The project will examine elements of best practice for public participation in science and technology issues. It will focus specifically on two persistent and ongoing challenges: scale and representation. To date, participatory processes have largely been used to involve the public in policy issues at a local scale, with only few cases of involving the public in nation-wide participatory projects. However, many policy challenges are relevant to regional and/or international. Hence guidance on how participatory processes can be used at a larger scale becomes a pertinent issue. One key concern in such processes is how best a diverse and diffuse public might be represented in science-based policy deliberation. This project will, amongst others, examine how 'silent voices' (e.g. children and future generations) might be represented.

These two cross-cutting themes of representation and scale will be explored at a generic level, and also be illustrated and analysed via three case study areas. The case study areas have been selected to represent ongoing debates, areas of current policy development and upcoming issues. The three case study areas are: genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture, biodiversity conservation and nanotechnology. Information exchange and development of innovative future directions will be achieved through an international workshop focussing on the issues of representation and scale, and an international conference which aims to integrate elements of best practice in science-based policy deliberation and sketch out potential future directions with regard to the case study areas. Innovative concepts and project outcomes will be disseminated to an academic and non-academic audience through policy briefs, conference proceedings, journal articles, reports, and the project website.