openTA presents comprehensive bibliography of social science TA literature [08.05.2014]

In cooperation with GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, the project openTA has compiled a bibliography on "Technology Assessment as a subject of social science literature". The publication is available online at the openTA portal and at SSOAR (Social Science Open Access Repository). Printed copies can be obtained via GESIS.

The bibliography provides 657 literature references with abstracts on the topic of technology assessment (TA) from the database SOLIS (Social Science Literature Information System), covering the period from 1978 to 2013.

The literature was assigned 15 headings:

  • TA – fundamentals, problems, positions, controversies
  • TA – innovation policy, steering technological developments, governance
  • Innovation conflicts, TA-procedures and practical ethics
  • Technology research, applied social sciences and TA
  • TA as policy advice for the legislative and executive
  • TA in and for companies
  • TA in international comparison
  • Risk, risk society and TA
  • Research on the genesis of technology and TA
  • Knowledge about the future and TA
  • Historical perspectives
  • The debate about the institutionalization of TA
  • TA in a sociology of science context
  • TA in teaching
  • Development of TA as reflected in relevant anthologies

In addition, previous bibliographies by GESIS on "Technology Assessment" are listed.

This bibliography, which puts together 35 years of literature production on TA, may be of some interest for anyone seeking a scientific introduction to the research field in combination with an overview of the literature. This includes students who want to learn about TA as well as teachers and researchers who want to create awareness and provide knowledge of TA. Even for the development of curricula for TA courses such a structured overview can be helpful. In addition, researchers with a historical interest in the development of Technology Assessment might welcome such a bibliography. Furthermore, it is hoped that all researchers involved in TA projects may derive some useful information from the bibliography.

The records of the bibliography will be incorporated as one source of many into the database which is being established within the DFG-funded openTA project.

 

Bibliographic reference:

Knud Böhle
Technikfolgenabschätzung als Gegenstand sozialwissenschaftlicher Literatur: eine annotierte Bibliografie deutschsprachiger Quellen von 1978 bis 2013. Recherche Spezial, 2014/1, GESIS: Köln 2014

Further links: