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The Market for Credible Information in Biotechnology

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Abstract

In the past, public reactions to products have generally taken place in the post-marketing phase of development. Increasingly, however, products of controversial technologies such as biotechnology applications have undergone increasing public scrutiny in earlier stages of the development cycle. Clearly, the market for technological development includes the pool of information available to the public and the institutional arrangements in place for access to and dissemination of such information. Such arrangements have been identified as integral to creating markets for innovation. This paper addresses the following questions: What is the nature of the market for credible information for biotechnology products? What social or institutional arrangements and practices attempt to promote greater credibility of information for biotechnology products? Experiences in various European countries are examined as a context for discussing the current policy attempts in Canada to address this challenge.

Edna F. Einsiedel is Professor of Communication Studies in the Graduate Program in Communication Studies at the University of Calgary. Address: 2500 University Dr. N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4. E-mail: einsiede@ucalgary.ca.

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Bartha M. Knoppers Alan D. Mathios

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© 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Einsiedel, E.F. (1998). The Market for Credible Information in Biotechnology. In: Knoppers, B.M., Mathios, A.D. (eds) Biotechnology and the Consumer. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5311-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5311-3_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-5541-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-5311-3

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