Back to the Roots of Technology Assessment

For the first time, key TA articles from Germany, published from the late 1970s to the 1990s, are brought together in an English anthology. The texts recall important conceptual discussions that are still highly relevant today.

The early development of technology assessment (TA) in Germany took place during the turbulent final decades of the 20th century. It was influenced by environmental crises, the end of the Cold War, and an growing awareness of technological risks. TA emerged as a practical and theoretical response to these challenges, engaging deeply with influential thinkers such as Jürgen Habermas, Niklas Luhmann, and Hans Jonas. Their ideas on communication, systems theory, risk and ethics have shaped the debate surrounding the role of TA in terms of democratic participation, policy advice and moral responsibility. This era also saw the emergence of constructive and participatory TA, which actively engage citizens and different groups of stakeholders, as well as the establishment of scientific institutions such as the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) in Karlsruhe in 1995.

To coincide with ITAS’s 30th anniversary, this anthology makes fundamental German TA texts from that period accessible to an international audience, emphasizing their continued relevance to today’s discussions on global TA and responsible research and innovation (RRI). Structured around the themes of risk, advice, participation and theory, the book demonstrates how German TA combined conceptual depth with practical reflection. The articles range from Herbert Paschen’s early examination of TA as a participatory and argumentative process in 1975, to Renate Mayntz’s analysis on problems of TA among political decision-makers in 1986, to Meinolf Dierkes and Katrin Hähner’s contribution to the development of the TA concept in 1999. (10.11.2025)

Bibliographic information:

Grunwald; Armin, Krings; Bettina-Johanna; Lösch, Andreas; Scheer, Dirk (eds.)
Back to the Roots. The Conceptual Development of TA in Germany: Nomos, 2025, 449 pp., ISBN: 978-3-7560-3343-0 (Gesellschaft – Technik – Umwelt, Neue Folge)
Publisher information and download (PDF)