International Comparisons of Biotechnology Policies

Technological revolution meets policy and the market: Explaining cross‐national differences in agricultural biotechnology regulation

“…This explanatory framework contributes to theorizing on comparative biotechnology policy in four ways. First, it includes but goes beyond the most popular explanation that views regulatory differences exclusively as a result of variation in public perceptions (Chen & McDermott 1998). Second, it connects more systematically to extant social science theories of regulation and is therefore more generalizable than explanations concentrating on ‘unique’ factors such as political culture and regulatory style (Vogel 2001; Vogel 1996; Jasanoff 1995; Echols 1998).…”

“…In 1990, the European Council adopted Directive 90/220 on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms into the environment. While this Directive was primarily designed to address environmental aspects of biotechnology, it was, until the Novel Foods Regulation was adopted in 1997 (see below), interpreted broadly to apply also to the approval of GM food products (Chen & McDermott 1998). Complicated decision‐making procedures implied, however, that imports of GM seeds, field trials, commercial planting of GM crops, and commercialization of GM food and feed products were, de facto , subject to approval by each EU Member State.…”

Scientific Revolution Meets Policy and the Market: Explaining Cross-National Differences in Agricultural Biotechnology Regulation

“…This explanatory framework contributes to theorizing on comparative biotechnology policy in four ways. First, it goes beyond the most popular explanation, which views regulatory differences as a direct result of variation in public attitudes (Chen and McDermott 1998). Second, it departs from explanations that concentrate on "unique" factors, such as political culture and regulatory style (Vogel 2001, Vogel 1996, Jasanoff 1995, Echols 1998.…”

“…In 1990, the European Council adopted Directive 90/220 on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms into the environment. 8 While this directive was primarily designed to address environmental aspects of biotechnology 9 , it was, until the Novel Foods Regulation was adopted in 1997 (see below), interpreted broadly to apply also to the approval of GM-food products (Chen and McDermott 1998). Complicated decision-making procedures 10 implied, however, that imports of GM-seeds, field trials, commercial planting of GM-crops 11 , and commercialization of GM food and feed products were, de facto, subject to approval by each EU member state.…”

“…Market concentration in the agbiotech sector is rather high in Europe. There are only a small number of large firms and these have concentrated on medical rather than agricultural applications (Assouline 1996, Chen andMcDermott 1998). The conventional economic theory of regulation suggests that this concentration should bolster European upstream producers' collective action capacity and translate into successful lobbying for less restrictive GMO regulations.…”