Not Again! Public Perception, Regulation, and Nanotechnology

Regulation and Governance, 2009

20 Pages Posted: 3 Dec 2008 Last revised: 15 Sep 2009

See all articles by Douglas J. Sylvester

Douglas J. Sylvester

Arizona State University - College of Law

Kenneth W. Abbott

Arizona State University

Gary E. Marchant

Arizona State University - College of Law

Date Written: December 1, 2008

Abstract

Forthcoming in Regulation and Governance (2009). Although it is often argued that government oversight is needed to assure public opinion does not mistakenly view nanotechnology as dangerous or to restore public trust in government agencies, a question that we ask in this article, and one that implicates many of the themes raised in the other papers in this symposium, is whether governments can truly play this role. In short, as the world lurches toward regulation of NT we should ask: Why the rush? Can anticipatory regulation, perceived as the government doing something, fulfill the competing hopes to "restore trust," "pave-the-way," "increase awareness," or "satisfy democratic notions of accountability"? Or, is regulation more likely to increase existing divisions about nanotechnology's future?

Keywords: Nanotechnology, Regulation, Technology, Genetics, Genetically modified, Governance, Risk, Cognitive, Psychology, Culture, Public Engagement

Suggested Citation

Sylvester, Douglas J. and Abbott, Kenneth Wayne and Marchant, Gary E., Not Again! Public Perception, Regulation, and Nanotechnology (December 1, 2008). Regulation and Governance, 2009, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1309743

Douglas J. Sylvester (Contact Author)

Arizona State University - College of Law ( email )

Box 877906
Tempe, AZ 85287-7906
United States

Kenneth Wayne Abbott

Arizona State University ( email )

Box 877906
Tempe, AZ 85287-7906
United States
480-965-5917 (Phone)

Gary E. Marchant

Arizona State University - College of Law ( email )

Box 877906
Tempe, AZ 85287-7906
United States
(480) 965-3246 (Phone)
(480) 965-2427 (Fax)

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