Democratising science in deliberative systems: Mobilising lay expertise against industry waste dumping in Taiwan.

Research on the science-policy interaction that happens in deliberative systems is limited. Drawing on concepts of democratisation of science and deliberation, this study used the case of dumping industrial waste on farmland in Taiwan to explore how local activists and non-governmental organisations contribute to knowledge production, democratising science and the epistemic-ethical-democratic functions for deliberative systems. The research methods used are documentary analysis and in-depth interviews. Local activists problematise official knowledge claims and its validation, deploy situated experiential expertise and engage directly in their own knowledge practices. Local activists and civic organisations play versatile roles in connecting the related networked institutions and intertwined spheres of deliberative systems. Civic activism engages in democratising science and participates in shaping policymaking, leading to the amendment of the Waste Disposal Act.

Evaluating the 2008 consensus conference on genetically modified foods in Taiwan.

Genetically modified foods have become one of the most popular topics for deliberative exercises involving ordinary citizens worldwide. This paper examines the Taiwanese consensus conference on GM foods held in June 2008, and the implications and limitations of the public deliberations. The consensus conference facilitated multiparty dialogues and enhanced citizens' knowledge, and affected their attitudes. This study demonstrates the ways contextual factors have influenced the outcome of the citizens' deliberative practices, including the government's conventional technocratic decision-making style, the strong influence of the U.S. government, the political and technological culture, the government's framing of economic development concerns, and a lack of pressure from civil society to compel the government to formally respond to their concerns. The consensus conference had a limited effect on policy decision-making, and seemed to serve as a socio-political experiment.

Justice, community knowledge, and waste facility siting in Taiwan.

This article examines justice in the context of a controversial industrial waste facility siting in a Hakka (a minority ethnic group) town in Taiwan. It provides analysis of local perceptions of disproportionate risk, community knowledge claims, and the challenges of citizens to the controversial environmental impact assessment process. It explores knowledge disputes among regulators, developers, and local activists; it considers the struggle of local actors for recognition and inclusion in decision-making; and it argues for the development of institutional procedures that promote dialogue among stakeholders in order to avoid the preemption of debate, the control of the frame by the government and experts, and the centralization of power.