The Value of Citizen Participation in Technology Assessment, Responsible Research and Innovation, and Sustainable Development

Abstract

The participation of citizens in scientific research has a long tradition, and in some disciplines, especially medical research, it is even common practice. In Technology Assessment (TA), Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), and Sustainable Development (SD), the participation of citizens can be of considerable value. In this paper, we explore this value for three concepts, based on the researcher’s insights from three participatory research projects. The first project is the citizen science project TeQfor1, which was conducted with, for, and on the type 1 diabetes community, who do not feel adequately supported by the conventional health care system. In the second project, citizens with vision impairments participated in the technological development of an audio-tactile navigation tool in the TERRAIN project. The third project (Nachtlichter) dealt with light pollution. Based on the three projects presented, we show that citizen participation makes specific contributions to TA, RRI, and SD. We also investigate the specificity of citizen engagement and motivation by differentiating between existing and emerging involvement. In conclusion, we discuss the benefits that may be added by participatory approaches for the three concepts of TA, RRI, and SD.

The state of online citizen science in Mongolia and its potential for environmental challenges

“…Ideally, data collected from local projects can be incorporated into international initiatives, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) database. Web technologies can facilitate local capacity building by opening new spaces for participation and making projects easier to establish owing to their cost-effectiveness and simplicity [ 76 , 77 ]. A recent example of the emergence of local projects in the context of existing web-based platforms is the "Flora of Mongolia” project, which is part of iNaturalist [ 78 ].…”

Citizen Science to Assess Light Pollution with Mobile Phones

“…In general there is no other field work similar on concept to what NightUp propouse and only other light pollution programs like Globe at Night [45] and Nachtlichter similar [46] and the ongoing Street Spectra project [47] could reach similar outcomes with much more resources.…”

Let’s Figure It Out: Participatory Methods for Reflecting on Educational Media in a Postdigital World

“…Under these circumstances, it will hardly be possible to guarantee the participation of those without such qualifications, at least not on an "equal footing." Finally, there is the practical problem of how to obtain such comprehensive information or assessment within a limited timeframe in order to design a technical solution that will minimize conceivable risks to citizens' rights and freedoms (see Schiering et al, 2020;Weinberger et al, 2021).…”