Book chapter 39 views
Responsible Research and Innovation and the knowledge politics of technoscience
Chris Groves 
Handbook on Knowledge Politics
Swansea University Author:
Chris Groves
Abstract
This chapter critically examines Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) as a knowledge-political response to the challenges posed by technoscientific innovation under conditions of uncertainty. Tracing the historical and conceptual development of RRI, the chapter identifies two interlinked lineag...
| Published in: | Handbook on Knowledge Politics |
|---|---|
| Published: |
|
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71304 |
| Abstract: |
This chapter critically examines Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) as a knowledge-political response to the challenges posed by technoscientific innovation under conditions of uncertainty. Tracing the historical and conceptual development of RRI, the chapter identifies two interlinked lineages—academic and policy-driven—that frame its normative foundations and implementation. While the academic lineage emphasizes reflexivity, care, and the ethics of future-oriented responsibility, the policy lineage anchors RRI in EU institutional values such as sustainability and competitiveness. The chapter explores tensions between these orientations, arguing that RRI’s focus on inclusion and reflexivity often remains constrained by key assumptions about innovation, democratic participation, and institutional legitimacy. Drawing on feminist ethics of care and perspectives from the global South, the chapter proposes rethinking RRI’s normative core through a more politically grounded and relational conception of care. This reframing foregrounds the interdependencies and potential harms embedded in innovation processes. Ultimately, the chapter positions care within RRI not only as an ethical imperative but also as a critical tool for reconfiguring the relationship between technoscience, society, and governance in a post-normal age. |
|---|---|
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |