The nuclear controversy: unequal competition in public policy-making

Sanderson, C. A. (1980). The nuclear controversy: unequal competition in public policy-making. ERG Report 35; Energy Research Group, The Open University, Milton Keynes.

Abstract

The public policy making process as regards nuclear power is analyzed and the epistemological basis for such an analysis is examined. It is asserted that disputes over the development of nuclear power are not primarily about the objective facts of the matter but rather derive from differences in basic assumptions about, and evaluatory perceptions of, society, technology and the nature of progress. The balance of power in such disputes is therefore not mainly determined by the 'correctness' of the facts upon which a position rests but rather by the extent to which underlying assumptions and values accord with prevailing ideological themes. A meaningful debate can be guaranteed only through the establishment of institutional structures which provide a framework of truely democratic participation and equality of power and influence.

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