LamprouMemo39

Memo 39: Different political cultures have different approaches in policy making and because of that affect differently the policy outcomes. Broadly speaking, the US approach is privatized and technocratic, while the process in the European Union has been more open to public participation. These differences are evident in their approaches to setting standards for nanotechnology. Despite these differences, however, there are some signs of harmonization. Specifically, a preference for neoliberal deregulation strategies is evident in both cases, and, as a result, the shared standards that are beginning to emerge address the needs of industry and the market, at the expense of public welfare and the environment. One way that the problem of neoliberal approaches can be resolved, is through changes in policies in local, national, and international level. Policies should be first of all oriented to benefit people and precautionary principle should drive the decisions, so that standards will be harmonized according not to the market needs, but the needs of people and the environment. Another change must happen in the way organizations function. Political participation should be an important issue and a goal for all organizations, private and public, involved in policy making and standards development and harmonization. But in order for these shifts to happen changes in the way people think and behave are necessary too. Political participation doesn’t mean anything if people still have the perception that only expert knowledge is valuable and because of that behave in such way that minimize the role of lay knowledge.