Taking the example of the consultation of experts in processes of parliamentary decision-making, this article shows how it is possible to support democratic processes by means of the institutional and organisational type of technology assessment (TA) chosen by the German Bundestag. Members of...

Recent discussions on governance, on science and technology policy and on adequate advice types motivate reconsidering some constitutive issues of technology assessment (TA). To these belong the frequently demanded scientific independence of a TA institution and of TA projects. The semantics of...

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Preface -- 1. What Makes New Science and Technology Meaningful to Society? -- 1.1. Motivation and objectives -- 1.2. The need for orientation in NEST fields -- 1.3. Short propaedeutic -- 1.3.1. The meaning of "sociotechnical meaning" --...