ABSTRACT
Technology assessment arose from specific historical circumstances in the 1960s and 1970s, far away from any lab or engineering context. Compared to its origin in the U.S.–American Office of Technology Assessment, TA’s diversity and complexity has considerably increased, responding to the set of challenges and motivations described in Chapter 2. Different approaches to technology assessment have been proposed and practiced, e.g., parliamentary, participatory, and constructive technology assessment. According to the different fields and arenas of action, and the different groups of actors involved at different locations in overall technology governance, three main areas for presenting technology assessment in action will be distinguished: technology assessment as policy advice for parliaments and executive bodies, technology assessment contributing to public debate by raising awareness and providing knowledge by involving stakeholders and citizens, and technology assessment as a partner in engineering processes shaping technology. These presentations are preceded by an overview of the history of technology assessment and its predecessors.
