Data

General Issues
Science & Technology
Collections
OECD Project on Representative Deliberative Processes
The POLITICIZE Project on Deliberative Mini-Publics (DMPs) in Europe
Location
Denmark
Scope of Influence
National
Links
Consensus Conference: Testing Our Genes
OECD Project Page for Innovative Citizen Participation
Borgerpanelets slutdokument Konsensuskonferencen, ”Test af vores gener”
The POLITICIZE Project
Start Date
End Date
Ongoing
No
Time Limited or Repeated?
A single, defined period of time
Purpose/Goal
Make, influence, or challenge decisions of government and public bodies
Develop the civic capacities of individuals, communities, and/or civil society organizations
Approach
Consultation
Spectrum of Public Participation
Consult
Total Number of Participants
14
Open to All or Limited to Some?
Limited to Only Some Groups or Individuals
Recruitment Method for Limited Subset of Population
Stratified Random Sample
General Types of Methods
Deliberative and dialogic process
General Types of Tools/Techniques
Facilitate dialogue, discussion, and/or deliberation
Recruit or select participants
Propose and/or develop policies, ideas, and recommendations
Specific Methods, Tools & Techniques
Deliberation
Consensus Conference
Legality
Yes
Facilitators
Yes
Face-to-Face, Online, or Both
Face-to-Face
Types of Interaction Among Participants
Discussion, Dialogue, or Deliberation
Decision Methods
General Agreement/Consensus
Primary Organizer/Manager
The Danish Board of Technology Foundation
Type of Organizer/Manager
Non-Governmental Organization
Funder
Budget of The Danish Board of Technology
Type of Funder
Non-Governmental Organization
Staff
No
Evidence of Impact
Yes
Types of Change
Changes in people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior
Implementers of Change
Elected Public Officials
Formal Evaluation
Yes

CASE

Danish Consensus Conference: Testing Our Genes

March 25, 2021 Jaskiran Gakhal, Participedia Team
October 23, 2020 Jaskiran Gakhal, Participedia Team
September 12, 2020 Joyce Chen
General Issues
Science & Technology
Collections
OECD Project on Representative Deliberative Processes
The POLITICIZE Project on Deliberative Mini-Publics (DMPs) in Europe
Location
Denmark
Scope of Influence
National
Links
Consensus Conference: Testing Our Genes
OECD Project Page for Innovative Citizen Participation
Borgerpanelets slutdokument Konsensuskonferencen, ”Test af vores gener”
The POLITICIZE Project
Start Date
End Date
Ongoing
No
Time Limited or Repeated?
A single, defined period of time
Purpose/Goal
Make, influence, or challenge decisions of government and public bodies
Develop the civic capacities of individuals, communities, and/or civil society organizations
Approach
Consultation
Spectrum of Public Participation
Consult
Total Number of Participants
14
Open to All or Limited to Some?
Limited to Only Some Groups or Individuals
Recruitment Method for Limited Subset of Population
Stratified Random Sample
General Types of Methods
Deliberative and dialogic process
General Types of Tools/Techniques
Facilitate dialogue, discussion, and/or deliberation
Recruit or select participants
Propose and/or develop policies, ideas, and recommendations
Specific Methods, Tools & Techniques
Deliberation
Consensus Conference
Legality
Yes
Facilitators
Yes
Face-to-Face, Online, or Both
Face-to-Face
Types of Interaction Among Participants
Discussion, Dialogue, or Deliberation
Decision Methods
General Agreement/Consensus
Primary Organizer/Manager
The Danish Board of Technology Foundation
Type of Organizer/Manager
Non-Governmental Organization
Funder
Budget of The Danish Board of Technology
Type of Funder
Non-Governmental Organization
Staff
No
Evidence of Impact
Yes
Types of Change
Changes in people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior
Implementers of Change
Elected Public Officials
Formal Evaluation
Yes

From May 24th to 27th, 2002, 14 citizens took part in the Consensus Conference on Testing Our Genes (Borgerpanelets Test af vores gener)—which was held at the Danish Parliament—to discuss the ethical, societal and economical consequences of genetic diagnostics and testing.

Problems and Purpose

Background History and Context

In the mid-1980s, the Danish government created the Danish Board of Technology (DBT), a body of experts set up to assess technological innovations and their impact for Danish society. The DBT was asked to initiate reflections and to formulate recommendations on various technology-related issues. In order to involve citizens in its work, the DBT developed the format of consensus conference composed of lay citizens selected by lot, and gathered for a few days to deliberative on a topic (with the help of experts). In total, the DBT organized more than 20 consensus conferences between 1987 and 2011. The DBT was then dissolved by the Danish Government in 2011. Consensus conferences remain used in Denmark but by the successor of the DBT, the Danish Board of Technology Foundation. It has become a private operator, and not a public one. [1]

Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities

The Danish Board of Technology, now the Danish Board of Technology Foundation, organized this consensus conference. [1]

Participant Recruitment and Selection

Methods and Tools Used

Consensus conference

What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

Analysis and Lessons Learned

See Also

Danish Consensus Conference on Gene Therapy

References

[1] Paulis, Emilien; Pilet, Jean-Benoit; Panel, Sophie; Vittori, Davide; Close, Caroline, 2020, "POLITICIZE Dataset", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/Z7X6GT, Harvard Dataverse, V1

External Links

Notes

Data was sourced from OECD (2020), Innovative Citizen Participation and New Democratic Institutions: Catching the Deliberative Wave, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/339306da-en.