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The Distinctive Dynamics of Nanotechnology in Developing Nations

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Making It to the Forefront

Part of the book series: Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management ((ITKM,volume 14))

Abstract

Nanotechnology is unique among emerging technologies in the level of attention given to social and ethical implications (SEIs) in its early stages of development. Central funders have set aside money for large projects to undertake “anticipatory governance” of nanotechnology, and nanoscientists and engineers themselves have solicited the help of social scientists and philosophers in helping to identify potential issues early. The distasteful and expensive experience with agricultural biotechnology, which raised near-fatal red flags late in the development process, stands clearly as an example not to be followed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=104505&org=SBE&from=news, accessed April 3, 2011.

  2. 2.

    http://www.nanoned.nl/, accessed April 3, 2011.

  3. 3.

    For a list of countries by income, see http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications. Most European countries fall into this group, plus the USA, Canada, Japan, and Korea. The UN designations by development level can be found at http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/.

  4. 4.

    http://www.epa.gov/nanoscience/, accessed April 3, 2011.

  5. 5.

    http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=19736.php, accessed April 3, 2011.

  6. 6.

    The International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) is the major international forum for EHS regulation around nanotechnology. A search of the ICON web site for information on regulatory activities, using a one-third sample of all the low and middle income countries in the world, revealed no activity beyond what is reported here. http://www.icon.rice.edu/SearchAll.cfm, accessed April 2, 2011.

  7. 7.

    We studied the distributional consequences of these technologies under Projects Resultar and ResIST, described in the acknowledgments at the beginning of this chapter.

  8. 8.

    http://socialjustice.nic.in/index.php, accessed April 3, 2011.

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Acknowledgments

Cozzens is the coleader of Thematic Research Cluster One, Equity, Equality, and Responsibility, in the Center for Nanotechnology and Society at Arizona State University. The discussion here is based in part on her work there, supported under NSF Cooperative Agreement #0531194, and her previous work in Project Resultar (NSF Grant SES 072-6919) in collaboration with colleagues in Project ResIST (http://www.resist-research.net/home.aspx), supported by the European Commission under Framework Program Six. All opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of any of the sponsoring organizations.

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  1. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Susan Cozzens

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  1. Susan Cozzens
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Correspondence to Susan Cozzens .

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  1. Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurshi, Glendale, 85306, Arizona, USA

    Neslihan Aydogan-Duda

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Cozzens, S. (2012). The Distinctive Dynamics of Nanotechnology in Developing Nations. In: Aydogan-Duda, N. (eds) Making It to the Forefront. Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management, vol 14. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1545-9_13

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