Comparative Table of Parliamentary TA Institutions
FLANDERS - INSTITUTE SOCIETY AND TECHNOLOGY
As a parliamentary technology assessment organisation, the Instituut
Samenleving en Technologie (IST) supports the decision-making process
of the Flemish representatives, with regard to science and technology
policy. IST supplies knowledge about the underlying scientific
foundations and it studies the social acceptance of new technologies.
It makes recommendations on what can be done, rather than on what
should be done. The Institute also communicates to a wider forum of
stakeholders and citizens.
INSTITUTIONALISATION
The IST was founded by decree by the
Flemish Parliament on 17 July 2000, as an independent, autonomously
functioning organisation for technology assessment. At that time it was
called viWTA (Flemish Institute for Science and Technology Assessment).
After an evaluation in 2008, it has been renamed Institute Society and
Technology.
As an autonomous institution associated with the Flemish
Parliament, the Institute has its own executive board, which consists
of 16 members. Eight of them are members of the Flemish Parliament,
belonging to the various parties in the parliament. One of them will be
appointed to the Presidency of the board. The other half is composed of
experts from the Flemish scientific, technological, environmental and
socio-economic communities.
The daily responsibility of the Institute is being held by the
scientific secretariat. Besides a director and an administrative
secretariat, the staff is composed of a small but thoroughgoing group
of 4 up to 6 researchers and a communication manager.
FINDING TOPICS
The IST gears its activities to the needs of
the Flemish Parliament and follows thematically the current scientific and
technological trends, which are relevant for Flanders.
The Institute carries out regularly »trend
watches«, to make an inventory of the current trends in the development of
science and technology. Especially themes with a clear societal impact on
Flemish areas of responsibility are taken into consideration. The trend watch
inventory is subsequently fine-tuned in consultation with the other European TA
institutions (the EPTA network), with the Flemish scientific and technological
players, and with the responsible commissions within the Flemish Parliament. On
this basis, the Institute defines its yearly working programme. Since its
foundation, the Institute has dealt with quite a variety of issues, from »biotechnology«,
through »mobility and use of energy« to »cyber bullying« and »nanotechnology«.
Accordingly a broad range of methods and approaches is used. For certain
issues, only a short, explorative analysis is adequate and sufficient. Others
require in-depth research, including extensive participation of stakeholders
and public.
WORK PROCEDURES/CONDUCT OF ASSESSMENTS AND OTHERS
IST has
conducted research in a broad area of topics and issues related to a
variety of technologies, from biotechnologies, through mobility
technologies, energy technologies, information and communication
technologies as well as nanotechnologies, and fertility technologies.
The institute has applied a broad range of analytical and participatory
methods and approaches: explorative survey studies, parliamentary
hearings, theatre plays, essays, interviews with experts and
stakeholders, retrospective trend analyses, consensus conferences,
public forums, citizen conventions, technology festivals, didactical
packages for scholars, among others.
TARGET GROUPS
The main target group of the IST is first and
foremost the members of the Flemish Parliament. The Institute is aware
of the fact that a TA project can only lead to the desired impact, if
the political network and the general public are well informed and if
the policy options are perfectly clear. Communication is paramount to
achieve that goal, provided that
…it is tailored to the target group;Scientific
reports are relevant for scientists and for the knowledge building
within the Institute. Nevertheless, to address specific target groups,
including policymakers, specially adapted and attractive means of
communication should be put into action. …it joins reality;
It is key to communicate at the appropriate moment. As far as the
content is concerned, communication should keep in touch with reality.
…it considers the media as partners;Properly
communicating with the media is crucial, not only with specialist
journals or with the so-called quality newspapers, but also with the
popular papers, magazines, radio, television, and on the internet. The
media constitute a very important factor in raising public and
political opinion.
…it is supported by the organisation as a whole;The
dissemination of the results of a TA research should not be limited to
the director and the communication manager. It is the responsibility of
every TA researcher to propagate the results of his or her project.
…it is a continuous effort. The actual work only
begins when a study comes to an end and the results are being
published. TA will only have an impact if its results are continuously
communicated and commented, in a way that appeals to people and makes
it belong to various contexts. In other words, TA communication also
takes place outside the offices and the meeting rooms.
COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICATIONS
Over the years, the IST has
developed various communication products, including an electronic
newsletter (e-zine), custom made publications (reports, dossiers,
recommendations and facts in a nutshell), and the web site: www.samenlevingentechnologie.be
THE WAY AHEAD
On
October 24 2011, the Bureau of the Flemish parliament decided to cease
the activities of IST by December 31 2012. The decision on the demise
of IST was prepared by a political working group, which had been
installed in November 2010 by the Bureau of the Flemish parliament in
order to have a political evaluation of 3 out of 4 »paraparliamentary«
institutes (the Flemish Peace Institute, the Children´s Rights
Commissariat and IST). In other words, this working group discussed on
what could be the future of these institutes within the context of
parliament. Representatives from all democratic political parties
present in the Flemish parliament took part in this working group. In
May 2011, the representative from the green party (Groen) decided to
leave the discussions after a conflict on the objectives of this
working group. The representative argued that the working group had too
many prejudices and jumped too fast to closure conclusions for the
different organisations.
In brief, the decision differentiates between TA advice function and TA research function of IST:-
Its TA advice function could be delegated to a committee that
consists of parliamentarians and scientists. Reference is made here to
the current Catalan PTA model, where the president of the parliament is
also chairman of this committee.
-
Its TA research function will disappear. The Flemish parliament
does not see itself as having to play a direct role in financing
research at universities or other research organisations. It based its
decision on the premise that parliament cannot finance research: what
can be done better elsewhere should be done there.
Parliament´s decision leaves an opportunity for the Flemish government to take up the TA research and/or TA functions of IST.
Parliament´s decision in October 2011 to close IST at the end of 2012
emphasized a period of significant uncertainty concerning the future of
policy oriented technology assessment in Flanders and threatened to
create an institutional vacuum for decision-supporting and
participatory TA in Flanders. In the months following this decision,
two organisations were identified by IST, the Flemish Parliament and
the Flemish government which could potentially integrate the TA
research function:-
the Flemish Council for Science and Innovation (VRWI)
-
the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO)
VRWI is the independent Flemish strategic advisory council that can act
proactively or on request of the government and parliament for the
policy areas science and innovation. VITO is an independent and
customer-oriented research organisation that provides innovative
technological solutions and scientifically based advice. Hence, while
the first is much more policy oriented with links to government and
parliament, the latter is much more research oriented with links to
academia, industry and government.
Several choices had to be made by the key players, i.e. the Flemish parliament and the Flemish government:-
Concerning the TA advice function:
-
The Flemish parliament had to decide if and how it wanted to
incorporate the TA advice function in its own activities. In the months
following October 2011 it became soon clear that the initial suggestion
to implement the introduction of the Catalan parliamentary TA model
into the Flemish parliament was abandoned.
-
Concerning the TA research function:
-
The Flemish parliament´s decision of October 2011 was clear: the
parliament wished no longer to take up any role in TA research
activities and asked the Flemish government whether it is interested in
taking over TA activities of IST.
In July 2012, the Flemish government then took the decision to relocate
the TA research activities to the Flemish Institute for Technological
Research (VITO). This involves the transfer of a significant part of
IST´s budget from parliament to the government and the opportunity for
the current TA practitioners at IST to start working at VITO.
For sure, parliament´s decision to close IST has highlighted the need
to reflect on the de- and re-institutionalisation process of policy
oriented TA activities in Flanders. For months it was unsure whether
such kind of activities would disappear or re-emerge in a different
institutional context. The government´s decision to integrate TA
activities of IST in VITO offers a unique opportunity to tackle
limitations of the (parliamentary) TA model that has been used in
Flanders of the past 10 years. It is to be expected that new ways of
linking and embedding TA expertise with other innovation stakeholders
and discourses will be developed over the coming months and years.
Expertise that has been built up by IST is useful in this matter but
will also to be matched with the ever evolving science and innovation
landscape. This includes:-
finding an effective balance between TA activities stimulating
public discourses and supporting existing and new policy initiatives on
science and technology issues,
-
positioning TA in the Flemish innovation landscape as a visible
knowledge actor that is a contact point for politicians, interested
citizens and science, technology & innovation promoters,
-
linking TA with other science and innovation discourses that are
used in national and transnational policy areas, academia and industry,
and
-
constructing organised reflection on short-term, salient and
immediately political/societal relevant issues and long-term, slow and »under the radar« collective interest goals.
CONTACT
IST, Instituut Samenleving en Technologie
Vlaams Parlement
1011 Brussel
Belgium
Director: Robby Berloznik
Contact details until December 31 2012
Fon +32 2 552 40 50
Fax +32 2 552 44 50
ist@vlaamsparlement.be
www.samenlevingentechnologie.be
© EPTA, provided by ITA; version 19 Oct 2012