Real-world experiment; experimental mindset; High-Level Radioactive Waste; RWM organisations; national radwaste policies; deep geological disposal
Abstract :
[en] Following the theoretical approach of Herbold (1995), Gross and Krohn (2005), and Van de Poel et al. (2017), this article argues that nuclear waste management is a real-world experiment. Based on this first assumption, we examine how radioactive waste management (RWM) organizations conceive or organize their experiments. Through three illustrative case studies in France, Belgium and Canada, we highlight how the RWM organizations obliged to participate in complex networks and unable to completely control the experimental process, adopt two different attitudes: an “open” or “closed” experimental mindset. We argue that these mindsets provide different answers to the questions: which main variables to focus on, how and who should design them, how to deal with conflicts and unexpected events, what are the justifications for participation and expert analysis, and what are the expected outputs and outcomes. The findings underline that although some RWM organizations have -at least since the participatory turn- had some ‘open’ mindset moments in some cases, they quickly revert to a closed mindset. We conclude by emphasizing the need for practitioners and scholars to further examine and evaluate the virtues of the open mindset when the experimenter assumes the program has a real-world ex- perimental status. This status recognizes the limits of control over experimental conditions, allows for more substantial moral considerations when making technical choices before wider audiences and allows for collective sharing of responsibility, knowledge production and trade-offs over such a long-term and controversial program.
Research Center/Unit :
Centre de recherches Spiral
Disciplines :
Law, criminology & political science: Multidisciplinary, general & others Engineering, computing & technology: Multidisciplinary, general & others Political science, public administration & international relations
Author, co-author :
Parotte, Céline ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de science politique > Département de science politique
Language :
English
Title :
A nuclear real-world experiment: Exploring the experimental mindsets of radioactive waste management organisations in France, Belgium and Canada.
Publication date :
20 August 2020
Journal title :
Energy Research and Social Science
ISSN :
2214-6296
eISSN :
2214-6326
Publisher :
Elsevier, United Kingdom
Volume :
69
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Commentary :
Acknowledgments: I would to thank Catherine Fallon and Pierre Delvenne, from Liege University for their patience, their constructive comments and their careful proofreading. They both know how to motivate their colleagues and help them enjoy the writing process. Many thanks to Fabien Medvecky from University of Otago for his challenging review and his scrupulous proofreading. Finally, thank you Nina for your brilliant and smiling ideas.
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