Our study explored two important previously understudied facets of the process of adopting, designing, implementing, and evaluating participatory technology assessment (pTA) forums (a method for collecting diverse, informed public knowledge about science and technology issues) in the U.S. government agency context: 1) the bureaucratic complexity and challenges of doing pTA, and 2) the contextual implementation and adaptation of pTA methods to different U.S. agency contexts. Our findings are derived from the review of over 100 documents and 32 interviews of public engagement organizers, federal government agency personnel, and government contractors involved with pTA projects at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The first part of the study shined light on the internal workings of government agencies adopting pTA as a public engagement strategy. Our findings show that the process of developing pTA can be facilitated or hindered depending on three conditions: 1) organizational culture (e.g., historical experience with the public; how controversial a topic is; whether experimentation with public engagement is encouraged);  2) the influence of broader political controls that constrain an agency?s freedom to independently make decisions (e.g., changing presidential administrations; existing federal laws governing how government agencies can interact with the public); and 3) the presence or absence of agency personnel that have working knowledge of the value and methods of pTA and how to navigate existing federal laws that govern agency interactions with the public (or public engagement methods in general). These findings will help government agencies facilitate the adoption of pTA as a public engagement practice. 

The second part of the study took a deep look at how pTA methods developed by a single pTA practitioner network change from context to context. This is important because little is known about how the procedures and norms of this method are influenced by institutional context. One concern often expressed in the literature about using pTA in the government is that it is implemented as a one-size-fits-all process that serves as a check-the-box exercise for rubber-stamping existing policy commitments. This study shows the contrary. The development of pTA forums varied from context to context, involving intense negotiations between the pTA practitioners and government agency personnel on the purpose of the forums, the framing of the public inquiry, and the meaning of the public outputs.

Furthermore, for agency personnel that participated in the design of the forums, pTA came to mean many things and helped structure important conversations about science and technology issues that otherwise wouldn?t have happened. Depending on the context, agency personnel see pTA as a process and a platform for collaborative experiments; participatory planning; understanding public values; reframing an agency issue or goal; building public trust and ownership of a policy or issue; informing decision making; reaching and hearing underrepresented communities; reflecting on organizational commitments; and expanding collective literacy or capacity of the public. These findings demonstrate that pTA is a highly flexible and adaptable public engagement tool that not only offers opportunities for empowering the public in science and technology decision-making matters, but also promotes co-learning among the public, agency personnel, and pTA practitioners. pTA also serves the diverse needs of different government agencies and the issues they are contending with and offers important reflection points for agency personnel on science and technology policy and the role of the public in decision-making.

Last Modified: 06/21/2023
Modified by: David Tomblin