Conflicts of Technology Policy and Governance Paradigm in a Knowledge-Based Economy: A Case Analysis of the Construction of the Taiwan Biobank

Abstract

This article discusses the technology policymaking problems associated with the establishment of the Taiwan Biobank. Taiwan, as a latecoming, technology-learning country, is characterized by a hidden and delayed risk culture. In particular, by comparing biotech and industrial policies and GMO (genetically modified organism) risk governance, we can analyze the confrontation involving the state, science experts, and society, which is the result of the authoritarian regime and expert politics that have existed in Taiwan since the Cold War era. We find that none of these factors is conducive to social trust and social support, which are essential for the establishment of a genetic database. This article argues that, in different social and historical contexts, such hidden and delayed risk cultures may have formed in different countries that value technological R&D competition.