Novelty or disguise? Regulation and Policy-making in Nanotechnology

The Special Issue collects some of the contributions to the International Conference “Managing the Uncertainty of nanotechnology. Challenges to ethics, law, and policy making”, gathering up different disciplinary and geographical perspectives on nanotechnology. The Volume aims at delineating a “multicoloured silhouette” useful for the discussion on regulation and policy-making in nanotechnology. The premise of all the contributions is that nanotechnologies amplify both the rapid growth of technoscientific development and the uncertainty about the social impact of added innovation. Moreover, the lack of scientific data and of suitable risk assessment methodologies implies that the regulation and policy making process is both crucial and difficult. First, we cannot cope successfully with “nano” issues using only local or even regional perspectives. Secondly, an integrated approach in the social sciences and humanities is a fundamental tool for answering these issues. The globalization of the markets, risks and innovations call for a trans-national vision on the impact of regulatory and policy responses. Nevertheless, this does not exclude the pivotal role of public actors in governing nanotechnology. Domestic rules and the implementation of new tools and modes of interaction between law, science, and society can help in designing new global policies which also take into account local priorities. Following these considerations, the first part of the volume addresses general issues on nanotechnology and regulation. The second part deals with issues related to specific fields and specific regulatory aspects dealing with biomedical applications, cosmetics and patents. The third part includes different perspectives on the interplay between regulation and the policy framework.