Participatory paternalism: citizens' conferences in Austrian technology governance.

Citizens' conferences as a form of participatory technology assessment (pTA) are said to increase democratic legitimacy, take up lay knowledge and improve technological solutions. Today it is part of science and technology policy rhetoric and, sometimes, practice. We confront some elements of the scholarly discussion on pTA with policy-makers' understandings of the process in Austria. Here, participation is often framed as a form of public relations and a sensor for public sentiments rather than as a forum of multiple rationalities and co-development of policy projects. This understanding can be related to underlying conceptions of democracy and the public. We conclude that governance styles would have to change before pTA could become more than a laboratory experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]