Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents the principles, the general objectives and the advantages of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), both at the normative and the functional level. There are at least two ways of operating an analysis of a regulatory framework like RRI. The first approach is to analyse what RRI is actually capable of according to its theoretical limits and practical obstacles. A second approach is to propose what RRI should or could be by focusing on construction of its tools. The book explores the actual limits of RRI with a special focus on its political dimension. Here, the two complementary sides of the analysis on RRI are integrated. The book focuses on economical, business and management perspectives. The starting point is the clear analysis of transparency that is one of the few warnings about the absolutization of procedures and/or values in the RRI discourse.