Comparative analysis of two case studies on Genetically Modified Organisms research in Italy and the UK
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14600/irpps_wps.45.2012Keywords:
Situational analysis, Public understanding of science, Genetically modified organisms, Comparative analysisAbstract
This paper explores two research projects, the Farm Scale Evaluation (FSE) in the UK and GMOs in Agriculture in Italy. It asks what political, social or economic factors contributed to scientific responses to negative public opinion. The data I use for this paper range from mass media reports, government documents, scientific papers, websites and interviews with journalists and researchers. Comparing these two case studies, I contend that there are six main factors that influence scientists’ listening capacity. These include government, position and culture of science, private companies, types of publics, mass media and PUS academic debate. Finally, I contend that, as Wynne (2006) suggests, discourses of communication between science and society are positioned in close relation with the local cultures of science and policies.References
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