• Katharina Mader

2000 Autumn Conference:
13.–15.9.2000, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler

This year's autumn conference was a so-called High Level Conference sponsored by the European Commission as part of the “Improving Human Research Potential and the Socio-Economic Knowledge Base” Programme. It was agreed that Technology Assessment is clearly an interdisciplinary undertaking, since a social issue can generally not be solved by one scientific discipline alone. However, the interdisciplinary approach is treated in very different ways. This becomes apparent in the participation – or lack thereof – of the population. Over the past years there has been a stronger orientation towards participatory methods. The conference examined the question of how interdisciplinarity is implemented in different methods and fields and what role the participation of the population can play.

After C.F. Gethmann’s  introductory lecture, “Participative Technology Assessment. Some Critical Questions” the topic was addressed through three thematic blocks: methodology, policy counselling, and participation: S. Funtowicz “Postnormal Science” (M. Carrier), M. Decker and A. Grunwald “Rational Technology Assessment and Interdisciplinary Research” (R. Reuzel), D. Cope “Parliament, Paradox and Policy” (M. Liakopoulos), I. Hronsky “Toward a cooperative learning by experts and lay participants in TA” (O. Renn), A. Jovell “TA in Health Care” (F. Thiele), J. Rotmans “Transition Management & Climate Change” (J. van der Sluijs).

A collection of the lectures can be found in Vol. 11 of the academy’s book series.