- Dept of Sci & Tech Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180
- Understanding the requisites for fairer and wiser decision making. Political Science and Scienceedit
This short paper examines four standards for assessing fairness, and argues that Equal Outcomes and Advantaging the Least Advantaged deserve more emphasis than Equal Opportunity or other mainstream standards.
Research Interests:
Description/Abstract Information about the management of radioactive wastes is provided in this book. Specifically, the book attempts to supply information to further the understanding of the history of radioactive waste management in... more
Description/Abstract Information about the management of radioactive wastes is provided in this book. Specifically, the book attempts to supply information to further the understanding of the history of radioactive waste management in this country and the role of nuclear energy in the future of the US; the science and technology of the processes that produce radioactive wastes and of the methods proposed for managing them; the biological effects of radiation; the public attitudes about nuclear power; the nature of risks resulting from technological ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Successful environmental policies often emerge in the presence of favorable technical conditions that help to structure problems and, indeed, help to solve or substantially ameliorate them. In the chlorofluorocarbon case, such favorable... more
Successful environmental policies often emerge in the presence of favorable technical conditions that help to structure problems and, indeed, help to solve or substantially ameliorate them. In the chlorofluorocarbon case, such favorable conditions included the availability of scientific techniques allowing laboratory experiments on chlorine-catalyzed ozone destruction and (later) detection of the ozone hole, the timely invention of the Aplanalp valve as a replacement for CFC sprays, and especially the technical" sweetness" ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... Accidents reflects Perrow's analysis of the near meltdown at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, numerous maritime disasters, and ... In this latter work, Sagan, I believe, rightly identifies the political nature of... more
... Accidents reflects Perrow's analysis of the near meltdown at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, numerous maritime disasters, and ... In this latter work, Sagan, I believe, rightly identifies the political nature of organizational learning, particularly in high-risk technologies. ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The 17 July special section on Artificial Intelligence (AI) (p. [248][1]), although replete with solid information and ethical concern, was biased toward optimism about the technology. The articles concentrated on the roles that the... more
The 17 July special section on Artificial Intelligence (AI) (p. [248][1]), although replete with solid information and ethical concern, was biased toward optimism about the technology. The articles concentrated on the roles that the military and government play in “advancing” AI, but did not include the opinions of any political scientists or technology policy scholars trained to think about the unintended (and negative) consequences of governmental steering of technology. The interview with Stuart Russell touches on these concerns (“Fears of an AI pioneer,” J. Bohannon, News, p. [252][2]), but as a computer scientist, his solutions focus on improved training. Yet even the best training will not protect against market or military incentives to stay ahead of competitors. Likewise double-edged was M. I. Jordan and T. M. Mitchell's desire “that society begin now to consider how to maximize” the benefits of AI as a transformative technology (“Machine learning: Trends, perspectives, and prospects,” Reviews, p. [255][3]). Given the grievous shortcomings of national governance and the even weaker capacities of the international system, it is dangerous to invest heavily in AI without political processes in place that allow those who support and oppose the technology to engage in a fair debate. The section implied that we are all engaged in a common endeavor, when in fact AI is dominated by a relative handful of mostly male, mostly white and east Asian, mostly young, mostly affluent, highly educated technoscientists and entrepreneurs and their affluent customers. A majority of humanity is on the outside looking in, and it is past time for those working on AI to be frank about it. The rhetoric was also loaded with positive terms. AI presents a risk of real harm, and any serious analysis of its potential future would do well to unflinchingly acknowledge that fact. The question posed in the collection's introduction—“How will we ensure that the rise of the machines is entirely under human control?” (“Rise of the machines,” J. Stajic et al. , p. [248][1])—is the wrong question to ask. There are no institutions adequate to “ensure” it. There are no procedures by which all humans can take part in the decision process. The more important question is this: Should we slow the pace of AI research and applications until a majority of people, representing the world's diversity, can play a meaningful role in the deliberations? Until that question is part of the debate, there is no debate worth having. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.349.6245.248 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.349.6245.252 [3]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aaa8415
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Description/Abstract This nonpartisan study of the imperfect but steadily developing system for containing the risks of such technologies as chemicals, nuclear power, and genetic engineering views regulatory efforts over a period of... more
Description/Abstract This nonpartisan study of the imperfect but steadily developing system for containing the risks of such technologies as chemicals, nuclear power, and genetic engineering views regulatory efforts over a period of decades, noting the surprisingly low number of disasters, and finds an ad hoc but intelligent social process at work.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The Demise of Nuclear Energy? Lessons for Democratic Control of Technology. By Joseph G. Morone and Edward J. Woodhouse. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. $22.50 cloth, $6.95 paper. - Collapse of an Industry: Nuclear Power and the Contradictions of U.S. Policy. By John L. Campbell. Ithaca: ...more
Nuclear power once stood for a bright and exciting future, a tangible symbol of hope and optimism in the postwar era. That began as the dream of a handful of scientists working in wartime laboratories grew into one of the most ambitious... more
Nuclear power once stood for a bright and exciting future, a tangible symbol of hope and optimism in the postwar era. That began as the dream of a handful of scientists working in wartime laboratories grew into one of the most ambitious technological efforts of the second half of the twentieth century. In scale, expense, technical challenge, and organizational complexity, it was comparable to the Apollo space program. But the outcome could not have been more different.
Research Interests:
Livre: Policy making process, 3° ed. 1993 LINDBLOM Charles, WOODHOUSE Edward.
“What are the most fruitful ways for social science to inform science policy?,” Session 7 speakers are asked. Perhaps the most basic lesson the social sciences have to teach is that social processes are problem-ridden; institutions take... more
“What are the most fruitful ways for social science to inform science policy?,” Session 7 speakers are asked. Perhaps the most basic lesson the social sciences have to teach is that social processes are problem-ridden; institutions take on lives of their own, for example, as by serving insiders at the expense of the supposed beneficiaries. Grasping that insight would open the way for probing decision making about science in a more fundamental way than anything I've seen hinted at in the workshop materials. Is it acceptable here to ask ...
With the administration of George W. Bush commencing under especially difficult political circumstances, careful consideration of science and technology (S&T) policy could well be relegated to the “later” category for months or even years... more
With the administration of George W. Bush commencing under especially difficult political circumstances, careful consideration of science and technology (S&T) policy could well be relegated to the “later” category for months or even years to come. Science advocates may interpret early signs of neglect as a call to lobby Congress for a proposition that already has significant bipartisan support: still larger research and development (R&D) budgets. We believe that sound stewardship of publicly funded science requires a more strategic ...
Technology and society thus evolve together. The stirrup emerged in tandem with feudalism, agricultural equipment cannot be understood apart from the legacy of slavery and labor issues, and nuclear weapons joined with US and Soviet... more
Technology and society thus evolve together. The stirrup emerged in tandem with feudalism, agricultural equipment cannot be understood apart from the legacy of slavery and labor issues, and nuclear weapons joined with US and Soviet hegemonies to constitute a prime determinant of geopolitical evolution after World War II. Cars, television, air conditioning, and birth control likewise arose in particular social contexts and contributed to the remaking of everyday life. If innovations as apparently modest as the metal stirrup and the cotton gin ...
One of the main obstacles to the use of science and engineering for human betterment is that new technological endeavors quickly develop economic, political, and intellectual momentum. As a result, these technologies then resist... more
One of the main obstacles to the use of science and engineering for human betterment is that new technological endeavors quickly develop economic, political, and intellectual momentum. As a result, these technologies then resist improvement, even when serious environmental or social impacts become apparent. The time to make mid-course corrections, therefore, is early in the life cycle before momentum becomes irresistible (Winner, 1977, 1986; Morone and Woodhouse, 1989). Among the most significant new technical endeavors for the foreseeable future are those in the field of molecular genetics —popularly referred to as biotechnology. This chapter attempts to assess whether early commercialization of this technology is proceeding sensibly or whether changes may be desirable. The analysis relies on a framework developed by decision theorists for evaluating the regulation of toxic chemicals, nuclear power, and other environmentally hazardous technologies (Collingridge, 1980, 1983; Morone and Woodhouse, 1986).
Research Interests:
Successful environmental policies often emerge in the presence of favorable technical conditions that help to structure problems and, indeed, help to solve or substantially ameliorate them. In the chlorofluorocarbon case, such favorable... more
Successful environmental policies often emerge in the presence of favorable technical conditions that help to structure problems and, indeed, help to solve or substantially ameliorate them. In the chlorofluorocarbon case, such favorable conditions included the availability of scientific techniques allowing laboratory experiments on chlorine-catalyzed ozone destruction and (later) detection of the ozone hole, the timely invention of the Aplanalp valve as a replacement for CFC sprays, and especially the technical" sweetness" ...
Research Interests:
Abstract Places the political use of expertise into a larger conceptual framework. Argues that there are sharp limits on knowledge of any kind displacing politics as a method of settling value-laden disputes, and that purveyors of... more
Abstract Places the political use of expertise into a larger conceptual framework. Argues that there are sharp limits on knowledge of any kind displacing politics as a method of settling value-laden disputes, and that purveyors of expertise ought to see it as an aid or supplement to partisan negotiations among affected interests-never a substitute for it. Argues that the main path for improving expertise is in helping decision makers devise initial precautions, craft flexible policy trials, speed up learning from experience, and otherwise cope with the ...
Research Interests:
Although incrementalism has enjoyed widespread acceptance within political science, it has not spawned a lively research tradition leading to cumulative refinement and amplification of the core concepts. Nor has it provided much guidance... more
Although incrementalism has enjoyed widespread acceptance within political science, it has not spawned a lively research tradition leading to cumulative refinement and amplification of the core concepts. Nor has it provided much guidance for policy making, in part because scholars never attempted to clarify how decision makers could become better incrementalists. This is due in part, we suggest, to the fact that understanding of the concept of "incrementalism" has become extremely muddied, conceivably to the point where the term may have outlived its usefulness; but the problems which motivated the early scholarship remain at the heart of political theory and practice.
Research Interests:
EDWARD J. WOODHOUSE roblems associated with science and tech-P nology have been making news regularly for at least a quarter century, yet each new incident seems to surprise government, the public, and even technical experts. Bhopal,... more
EDWARD J. WOODHOUSE roblems associated with science and tech-P nology have been making news regularly for at least a quarter century, yet each new incident seems to surprise government, the public, and even technical experts. Bhopal, Chernobyl, and the Challenger explosion were among the more dramatic such events in the mid-1980s.“How could this happen?” is the typical question. While less dramatic, decisions about biotechnology, robotics, and aritifical intelligence probably are no better understood by most citizens and ...
Research Interests:
Was the Hurricane Katrina disaster an aberration, or did it emerge from decision-making processes similar to those governing other public outcomes? Is it more reasonable to expect post-disaster analyses to lead to systematic learning and... more
Was the Hurricane Katrina disaster an aberration, or did it emerge from decision-making processes similar to those governing other public outcomes? Is it more reasonable to expect post-disaster analyses to lead to systematic learning and improved policy, or not to change very much? Most generally, what can be learned about appropriate expertise and usable knowledge from the Katrina experience? I argue that many of the same processes and institutions are at work to create vulnerable populations, design the built environment carelessly with respect to public values, place barriers in the way of preventive action, and make it difficult for experts to contribute to improved outcomes. No doubt there will be some hurricane-specific learning in Katrina's wake, such as more houses on stilts, but political influentials are unlikely to revamp the systemic norms, practices, and institutions that helped shape the disaster. Implications are discussed for interdisciplinary, problem-focused re...
Research Interests:
Because the practice of engineering authoritatively reshapes the world, it deserves to be seen as a public and political activity. If technology is a form of legislation, are engineers the legislators or do they occupy some other... more
Because the practice of engineering authoritatively reshapes the world, it deserves to be seen as a public and political activity. If technology is a form of legislation, are engineers the legislators or do they occupy some other political role? Because engineering in the 20th century has served some social interests much better than others, might those who have been disadvantaged reasonably construe engineers as their political opponents? What constraints face engineers individually and collectively in attempting to reconsider and retarget beliefs and actions bearing on their work as technological decision makers?
Research Interests:
Derives four main challenges for less unwise, less unfair technological development and use. Proposes a series of political-economic innovations that would substantially increase wisdom and fairness. Radical life extension, toxics in... more
Derives four main challenges for less unwise, less unfair technological development and use. Proposes a series of political-economic innovations that would substantially increase wisdom and fairness. Radical life extension, toxics in households, Chemical Greening, ground-based geothermal energy, natural gas vehicles, and many other cases utilized. At the intersection of Democratic Theory, Public Policy, and Science & Technology Studies.
Until recently, the commonly accepted notion of human social development held that static “traditional” societies passed through a dynamic transitional period and came to rest again as “modern” industrial societies. Such simplistic stage... more
Until recently, the commonly accepted notion of human social development held that static “traditional” societies passed through a dynamic transitional period and came to rest again as “modern” industrial societies. Such simplistic stage and linear development theories have now been formally superseded by Huntington's formulation of development and decay as concurrent processes with no necessary endstate. There remains, however, an implicit assumption that highly populated, urbanindustrial societies with continuously growing economies are the proper goal of development, and that the current internal political and economic processes of third-world nations are the proper subject of study.
Research Interests:
Page 1. Policy Studies Review, February 1985, Vol. 4, No. 3 Edwerd J. Woodhouse EXTERNAL INFLUENCES ON PRODUCTIVITY: EPA'S IMPLEMENTATION OF TSCA Most discussions of governmental productivity focus on ...