Reflexive modernization in action: the institutional pathway of parliamentary Technology Assessment

Ulrich Beck’s diagnosis of reflexive modernization, undermining high modernity since the 1980s, has been widely discussed, there have been few attempts to map and analyse these complex processes empirically in order to show reflexive modernization in action.

Being based on literature research, participatory observation, official document analysis and qualitative data collection (through interviews), we claim that the emergence and developement of Parliamentary Technology Assessment offices (PTAs), to address science and technology (S&T) issues and to provide intelligence on technological innovations, embody a relevant indication of our Western modernity becoming more reflexive. We offer case studies of PTAs and we are particularly interested in how much reflexivity is visible. After formulating two main dimensions of reflexive modernization, openness to plurality and blurring of boundaries, we map the paths of these institutions over time along these two dimensions. There appears to be a reflexivity pathway, on which some PTAs have moved farther than others. This is due to various institutional and external factors like the socio-technical landscape, the power of lobbies, the cultural meanings and traditions, the historical processes or the structure and the state of the innovation regime that can affect the way institutionalised TA may embrace a more or less reflexive approach.

More broadly speaking, we will consider that S&T are linked to issues that have global (but unequal) effects, while they are addressed by different local and institutional settings. Our concluding remarks will rely on Eisenstadt’s concept of multiple modernities to test our research’s validity in non European contexts, especially Latin America.