Values in Impact Assessment

本项目考察了可用于评估新兴技术影响的正式机制所包含的价值，例如风险评估和成本效益分析，并以合成生物学为案例研究。该项目旨在完善对这些机制的理解，促进它们在决策中的深思熟虑的使用，深化关于合成生物学的社会辩论，并推进关于应该指导新兴技术影响评估的价值的辩论。该项目列出了合成生物学的三种应用，为它们制定了正式的影响评估，并召集了一个专家小组，这些专家在合成生物学、技术治理以及影响评估的理论和使用方面具有专门知识。在这个小组的帮助下，项目的领导团队将对价值在影响评估中的作用进行概念和哲学分析。该项目借鉴了政策分析、政治学、经济学、哲学和生物伦理学方面的文献。实现上述目标有助于制定战略，确保新兴技术的治理适当地符合公共价值观。该项目将产生一份报告，审查价值观在正式影响评估机制中的作用，一份关于影响评估机制如何符合生物伦理问题研究总统委员会关于在合成生物学和其他新兴生物技术政策中“谨慎警惕”的建议的额外报告。学术论文重新评估了关于前瞻性（促进创新自由）与预防性（在有可靠证据表明不会造成伤害之前限制创新）决策方法的争论。这项工作还将通过面向普通读者的出版物、与记者的互动、公开演讲和网络进行传播。

This project examines the values embedded in formal mechanisms, such as risk assessment and cost benefit analysis, that could be used to assess the impact of emerging technologies, with synthetic biology as a case study. The project aims to refine the understanding of these mechanisms, facilitate their thoughtful use in policy-making, deepen the social debate about synthetic biology, and advance the debate about the values that ought to guide impact assessment for emerging technologies generally. The project sets out three applications of synthetic biology, develops formal impact assessments for them, and convenes a panel of experts who, collectively, have expertise in synthetic biology, governance of technologies, and the theory and use of impact assessments. With the help of this panel, the project's leadership team will engage in conceptual and philosophical analysis of the role of values in impact assessments. The project draws on literature in policy analysis, political science, economics, philosophy, and bioethics.Meeting the goals indicated above could contribute to the growing effort to develop strategies that ensure the governance of emerging technologies aligns appropriately with public values. The project will lead to a report that examines the role of values in formal impact assessment mechanisms, an additional report on how impact assessment mechanisms square with the recommendation by the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues for "prudent vigilance" in policy on synthetic biology and other emerging biotechnologies, and scholarly papers reassessing the debate about proactionary (promoting freedom to innovate) versus precautionary (constraining innovation until there is sound evidence that no harm will result) approaches to policy-making. The work will also be disseminated through publications intended for a general audiences, interactions with journalists, public presentations, and on the web.