De-politicizing uncertainty

In this paper we show how risk governance at an early stage of technological innovation effectively depoliticizes uncertainty. This is part of a larger investigation into the effects of health policy and risk communication on citizens’ risk perceptions. We report on the interactions between key-actors of science, policy, industry and social movements in the Netherlands. They work on the uncertain health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) associated with mobile telecommunication technologies.

We align with work on risk governance which focuses on uncertainty (De Vries et al 2011) combined with an interpretive, relational perspective. Symbolic interactions in political processes establish or categorize both the risk object and the object at risk; in this way uncertainty-governance practices influence - and rely on - the shared interpretive resources to which citizens have access (Boholm 2011, Heyman et al 2010, Horlick-Jones et al 2003). We studied interactions between industry, science, politics and social movements via participant observation, interviews and policy documents. 

Technological development shapes and is shaped interactively as these actors jointly depoliticize the technology. A coherent set of measures and practices effectively channels the uncertainty about EMF towards more research, more communication and care. Paradoxically, actors work hard to ‘avoid politics’ while acting in public (Eliasoph 1997). Although they explicitly seek public participation in decision making, deliberation with citizens is rather avoided while the consumer is sought for. When citizens do participate, dissonant frames and feelings are overruled by a strong moral narrative (a technological imperative). Sometimes citizens are able to counter this narrative by redefining uncertainty and by influencing the governance-practices.