The institutionalisation and practice of technology assessment in India

Handbook of Technology Assessment2024Sharma, A., & Pandey, P.

The chapter explains the emergence, institutionalisation and practice of technology assessment (TA) in India. The maturation of Science and Technology (S&T) policies, the increasing role of scientific institutions and the focus on technology forecasting and assessment for socio-economic development led to the establishment of technology think tanks and the emergence of TA. The TA was supposed to provide continuing and systemic scientific advice to government agencies for the governance of S&T. Apart from TA, several other TA-like activities emerged during the last three decades for S&T governance. The TA in India remained expert-driven, government-centric, technocratic in vision and economistic in approach. The chapter ends with a reflection on the relationship of TA with TA-like activities and the future of TA in India.

Sharma, A., & Pandey, P. (2024). The institutionalisation and practice of technology assessment in India. In A. Grunwald (Ed.), Handbook of Technology Assessment (pp. 192–200). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035310685.00029