Expecting the Public Backlash: Public Relations Lessons for Nanotechnology from the Biotechnology Experience

摘要

This paper discusses the relationship between public reaction to new technology and the legal, regulatory, and public policy environment that develops to provide oversight for the technology. The paper contends that there are useful lessons to be derived for nanotechnology from the relationship between public response and legal oversight that developed with the introduction of biotechnology and other innovative technologies. It identifies the most useful lessons for the nanotechnology industry available in the prior experience. Based on those applicable lessons, the paper describes a regulatory strategy for nanotechnology that is conducive to continued research and effective commercialization in the field.