The precautionary principle and democratizing expertise: a US perspective

摘要

Democratizing expertise carries many implications for application of the precautionary principle. It can extend the amount and types of information incorporated into decisions, empower citizens, and ensure that experts alone are not charged with making value-laden decisions. It can also expose uncertainties in science and decision-making, and bring forth unrecognized alternative solutions to problems. In this article, we outline the implications of democratizing expertise on implementation of the precautionary principle in a US context, as well as barriers and opportunities. We argue that initiatives to democratize expertise and implement precaution in the United States will occur first at the local and regional level as a result of grassroots momentum for change.