New technologies and the science that created them have transformed our lives, posing challenges as to how technological change can be better integrated in society. Recognition of these issues has led to different ways of engaging the public in the assessment and regulation of emerging technologies. However, there has been no single approach that characterizes the relationship between publics and new technologies.

This book puts the subject of publics and their engagement in emerging technologies on a robust theoretical footing. With a strong, though not exclusive, focus on genomic technologies, leading theorists and practitioners in the field provide precise and clear insights into the key issues in public participation studies, including ethics, process, and principles of knowledge distribution in democratic societies. The discussion is particularly pertinent and central to current concerns in health, technology, and public participation at a time when the reform of public and private sector health and social care services are being debated globally.