TOWARDS A SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTUALIZATION OF COMMUNICATION IN EXTEN SION SCIENCE: On Giddens, Habermas and Computer-based Communication Technologies in Dutch Agriculture.

Extension scientists in the Netherlands have recently developed two approaches for conceptualizing new roles for communicative intervention (i.e. extension) in complex ‘multi- actor’ settings. Against the background of the development and adoption of communication technologies in Dutch agriculture, this paper argues that both the Knowledge and Information Systems perspective (which proposes looking at extension as a facilitating function for developing higher quality collective agency) and the Policy Instrument perspective (which looks at extension as an instrument to secure rationally argumented behavioral change) still fail to conceptualize adequately the social dimensions of communication, knowledge, and information. Moreover, it is argued that Habermas' theory of communicative action is less satisfactory in this respect than a slightly constructive interpretation of Giddens' theory of structuration. The paper provides some empirical mate- rial on agro-informatics in order to illustrate the usefulness of Giddens' perspective, and discusses implications for extension science in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]