Case Study: The United Kingdom and Technology Policy

The policy of the government of the United Kingdom is founded on the premise that nanotechnologies are at an early stage of development and require special consideration by policymakers. In the words of UK government representatives, “This means that we can concentrate on getting it right–ensuring that developments benefit society and the environment, but do not overburden industry with regulation.”

Exciting challenges and opportunities lie ahead in terms of coordinating research, leading the way in developing the best practices of public engagement, and in adapting regulatory frameworks so they are relevant to developments. Lord Sainsbury of Turville, UK Minister for Science and Innovation, states that on the international stage, the UK wants “to influence and shape global developments in nanotechnologies. We must maintain our international competitiveness by: participating in international collaboration; projecting the U.K. as a model of best practice in regulation and public engagement; and having early international engagement to build mutual understanding.”

Like many European nations, the public and government of the UK have substantively asserted the need to mitigate technological divides between poor and rich regions of the world, and this understanding is often reflected in international policy. In 2006, the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) launched its new White Paper on International Development titled, Eliminating World Poverty: Making Governance Work for the Poor. The document sets out the plans of the UK Government in the next five years to reduce worldwide poverty:

We will deliver the promises we made in 2005 by: increasing our development budget to 0.7% of gross national income by 2013; concentrating our resources on the poorest countries—particularly sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia—and working more in fragile states; making sure that wider U.K. policies support development; and doubling funding for science and technology.

Further Reading:

• Department for International Development. 2006. Eliminating World Poverty: Making Governance Work for the Poor, www.dfid.gov.uk.