Science, Technology and Public Policy

Description

There are many issues at the interface between science, technology and public policies, such as R&D policy, diffusion of technologies and prevention of environmental damages. Those issues can be found in sectoral areas such as energy policy, transport policy, medical policy and IT policy.
Concretely, following issues will be dealt with in the class. Risk assessment and risk management (including precaution principle and bio ethics). Policy instruments (legal system, information sharing, market instruments such as insurance, compensation scheme). Social decision making and consensus building about science and technology. International harmonization. International security and science/ technology. Foreign guest speaker will talk about risk management, technology assessment, and relation between science and politics in the latter part of the class.
Case materials and references will be distributed and discussed in the class.

Course materials

 

Evaluation