This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Abraham, J. Articles by Sheppard, J. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Democracy, Technocracy, and the Secret State of Medicines Control: Expert and Nonexpert Perspectives

University of Sussex

Julie Sheppard

Genetics Forum, London

This article explores the social frameworks guiding expert and nonexpert perspectives on medicines safety in the U.K. Scientific experts from the Committee on the Safety of Medicines and the Medicines Commission were interviewed, and three nonexpertgroups, including patients and health professionals, were studied by the administration of questionnaires and focused group discussions. The research examined to what extent these groups subscribed to technocratic or democratic approaches to medicines regula tion and how this might be related to values toward technological risk. The results reveal that there is substantial divergence between expert and nonexpert perspectives on medicines regulation, and that this derives as much from value differences as from any informational deficits. However, there seems to be some scope for shared values between some experts and some nonexperts, especially as regards state secrecy. The article concludes by discussing how those values could be used to foster a new "social contract of expertise" in which scientists are more democratically accountable and patients take more responsibility in governing medical risks.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Jewell and L. Bero Public Participation and Claimsmaking: Evidence Utilization and Divergent Policy Frames in California's Ergonomics Rulemaking J. Public Adm. Res. Theory., October 1, 2007; 17(4): 625 - 650. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Abraham and C. Davis Deficits, Expectations and Paradigms in British and American Drug Safety Assessments: Prising Open the Black Box of Regulatory Science Science Technology Human Values, July 1, 2007; 32(4): 399 - 431. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. Abraham and G. Lewis Citizenship, Medical Expertise and the Capitalist Regulatory State in Europe Sociology, February 1, 2002; 36(1): 67 - 88. [Abstract] [PDF]