improving dialogue bet society and science

8/8/2019 Improving Dialogue Bet Society and Science

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improving-dialogue-bet-society-and-science 1/16



OECD Global Science Forum

Improving the Dialogue with Society on Scientific Issues

www.oecd.org

Today, citizens are directly affected by science and technology but they don’t wish to simplybe passive recipients of new products and technologies, however innovative they may be.Furthermore, the scientific enterprise is not automatically accepted as beneficial to society.

What appears increasingly required is a true bi-directional dialogue between science andsociety, going beyond traditional science education or simply securing the acceptance by

citizens of scientifically validated truths. The optimisation of this debate is a significantchallenge for governments, and policymakers are searching for ways to respond to the newimportance and assertiveness of the public.

Accordingly, the OECD Global Science Forum undertook an activity on Improving theDialogue with Society on Scientific Issues.

This report analyses the shift from the traditional approach of “public understanding ofscience” to a multi-directional dialogue, involving society’s different stakeholders andthe general public. It is focused on the practical aspect of the dialogue and providesrecommendations for each step of such an undertaking:

• The rationale: objectives of and participants in a dialogue

• The methodology: organising and conducting a dialogue

• The results: formulating and using the output of a dialogue

improving dialogue bet society and science

Documents