Governance of the European Research Area: The Role of Civil Society
Auteur(s): BANTHIEN HenningJASPERS MichaelRENNER AndreasADAM MatthiasMAYER-RIES JörgWULFERS Meike
Date de publication: 20 octobre 2003
Publié par: IFOK
Objective
In order to respond swiftly and effectively to the innovations affecting society, civil society must be involved in the political process. The general aim of this study is, first, to promote a better
understanding of the conditions required when effectively involving civil society in the determining process of the European Research Area and, second, as a result of this, to boost the culture of
consultation within the scope of research policy and the creation of the European Research Area. This present study is one of various initiatives undertaken by the Commission with the aim of reforming
European governance and reinforcing the culture of consultation and dialogue within the EU, especially with regard to the creation of a European Research Area. The study particularly supports the
White Paper on European Governance (2001) and the Science and Society Action Plan (2001) (in particular actions 22 and 23 thereof).
The setting
The methodology of the study itself was participative. At all stages of the process, a lot of the input was gathered via an international expert network . In addition, the research was peer reviewed by an
international panel of renowned experts and practitioners, themselves involved in civil society participation. Moreover, this report of the study served as the foundation for the international conference which was held in Brussels on June 12/13th 2003, jointly organised by the European Commission and IFOK. The results of the conference contributed to the final report.
Structure of the report
The report consists of six main chapters, complemented by a bibliography and an excerpt from the data base on procedures of public participation in European science and technology based decisionmaking as well as in selected third countries contacted by IFOK. The conference proceedings can be found in the annex as well.
The report is structured as follows:
Chapter 1 gives the reader access to the general background, the objective and the focus of the study.
Chapter 2 illustrates the scientific debate(s) related to civil society participation. It defines what civil society participation means in the context of this study, sketches the rationale for
civil society participation and gives a broad overview of the major (scientific) communities dealing with civ il society participation in research-based policy-making. Eight important communities enter the picture - technology assessment, foresight, risk assessment, e-governance, science and ethics, public understanding of science, the democratisation of expertise and sustainable development and environmental protection.
Chapter 3 gives an overview of the analytical Framework, the methods of civil society participation as well as contributing ideas for their classification (according to design, through linkage with the political sector and regarding areas of application). Civil society or public participation is – particularly in Europe, with its multitude of cultural and political contexts – characterised by a variety of different approaches.
Chapter 4 analyses the different viewpoints for the assessment of civil society participation, suggests further lines of thought for a comparative assessment of public participation procedures and indicates a useful selection of practices and pitfalls that policy-makers should take into account when faced with the challenge of tapping the full potential civil society participation offers to improve governance in the European Research Area.
Chapter 5 summarises the governance discussion within the EU and its relevance for RTD policy-making. It outlines initiatives which have already been taken to strengthen the role of civil society participation in the European Research Area and identifies fields of action which are highly relevant for the Commission.
Chapter 6 summarises the general lessons of the study and develops policy recommendations for the Commission and its partners the implementation of which can lead to a better involvement of civil society in research policy making in Europe. The presentation
of each recommendation is following a scheme responding to all relevant questions which are related to them.
Langue(s): anglais