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Building citizen capacities for participation in nanotechnology decision-making: the democratic virtues of the consensus Conference model

LaFollette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA, powell{at}wisc.edu

Daniel Lee Kleinman

Department of Rural Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research suggests that deliberative experiences may improve citizens' perceptions of their abilities to participate meaningfully in political and societal issues. Previous studies, however, have not looked in depth at citizens' perceptions after participating in consensus conferences. In this case study, drawing on in-depth interviews with participants of a consensus conference on nanotechnology, we consider the following questions: 1) How do citizen participants feel the consensus conference experience affected their knowledge and efficacy related to participation in nanotechnology issues? 2) Which aspects of the conference (if any) do citizens think shaped their knowledge and efficacy? 3) Are citizens motivated to engage in future participatory mechanisms related to nanotechnology issues, and why or why not? Although our case study is exploratory, it suggests that even if consensus conferences have little or no influence on policy or policymakers, they may empower citizens by improving their perceived abilities to participate meaningfully in technoscientific issues.

Key Words: consensus conferences • citizen engagement • citizen efficacy • citizen empowerment • nanotechnology • democracy and science.

This version was published on July 1, 2008

Public Understanding of Science, Vol. 17, No. 3, 329-348 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0963662506068000


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