Parliamentary Technology Assessment Institutions Challenged by Reflexive Modernization in Action

The emergence and evolutions of Parliamentary Technology Assessment offices (PTAs) are an indication of our Western modernity becoming more reflexive. This perspective sheds light on recent evolution of PTAs, but also contributes to the discussion of reflexive modernization generally. Ulrich Beck’s diagnosis of reflexive modernization, undermining high modernity since the 1980s, has been widely discussed, but there have been few attempts to map and analyse these complex processes empirically in order to show reflexive modernization in action (Delvenne and Rip 2009). From that perspective, reflexive modernization is seen as a challenge for the institutions of modernity. PTAs are recent institutions that had to span boundaries from the beginning, and might thus have more incentives to follow reflexive modernization while at the same time their progression will be bounded by strong modernist institutional patterns or elements of political culture.

We offer case studies of European PTAs based on literature research, participatory observation, official document analysis and qualitative data collection (through semi-structured interviews with academics and TA practitioners). We are particularly interested in how much reflexivity is visible in their institutional path. After formulating two main dimensions of reflexive modernization, openness to plurality and blurring of boundaries, we map the paths of these institutions over time along these two dimensions.

There appears to be an overall reflexivity pathway, on which some PTAs have moved farther than others, but their progress is fractured by the resilience of modern institutions. This is due to various institutional factors ¬— like the link with a Parliament — and external factors — like the dynamics of institutionalisation, the cultural meanings and traditions, the historical processes or the structure and the state of the innovation regime — all of which affect the way institutionalised TA embraces a more or less reflexive approach. The identification of an overall reflexivity pathway allows us to highlight new trends in (parliamentary) Technology Assessment as not just interesting ad-hoc novel approaches, but as indications of a new and broader generation of TA.