What is Technology Democracy?
Technology Democracy means managing scientific research and technological innovation in the public interest, rather than the particular interests of rich and powerful elites.
Technology Democracy means creating an institutional and policy environment that enables resource-poor people to make effective choices about the technologies they use, and enables them to influence the use by others of technologies that affect them.
Technology Democracy means public sector organisations and private sector corporations are properly accountable for their environmental and social impact.
Democratising Technology, Practical Action's discussion paper on technology democracy looks at nine examples of "democratising technology", examining lessons to be learnt and issues for the future and identifying the principles of democratic technology.
Technology as if People and the Planet Mattered Practical Action policy adviser Patrick Mulvany recently presented this speech at the UN Poverty Forum in New York on 16 November 2006.
These issues were debated in detail at Public Good or Private Gain?, a conference on reclaiming science for sustainable development, held in London on 11 November 2004.
Technology democracy is ... |
|
Putting people first in technology development "The potential of technology to unlock human development will be fulfilled only when poor people are at the heart of the decision-making processes." Cowan Coventry, former Chief Executive Practical Action. |
|
Building on local knowledge "Find out what people do and help them do it better." E F Schumacher, founder of Practical Action. |
|
Redirecting research efforts towards the poor "Agricultural research must not allow privatisation of knowledge by the transnational corporations" La Via Campesina, the international farmers’ movement |
|
Involving people in the technology decisions that affect their lives and those of future generations "Reach out to people themselves, involve them, engage them, and listen to what they say." Nelson Mandela |
Science and technology have changed our world. But millions of people have no access to basic technologies that have been around for centuries ...
