Wohlers Anton E
Department of History and Government, South Shepler Center 630, Cameron University, Lawton, OK 73505, USA.
Politics Life Sci. 2010 Sep;29(2):17-39. doi: 10.2990/29_2_17.
This paper examines whether national differences in political culture add an explanatory dimension to the formulation of policy in the area of biotechnology, especially with respect to genetically modified food. The analysis links the formulation of protective regulatory policies governing genetically modified food to both country and region-specific differences in uncertainty tolerance levels and risk perceptions in the United States, Canada, and European Union. Based on polling data and document analysis, the findings illustrate that these differences matter. Following a mostly opportunistic risk perception within an environment of high tolerance for uncertainty, policymakers in the United States and Canada modified existing regulatory frameworks that govern genetically modified food in their respective countries. In contrast, the mostly cautious perception of new food technologies and low tolerance for uncertainty among European Union member states has contributed to the creation of elaborate and stringent regulatory policies governing genetically modified food.
本文探讨政治文化方面的国家差异是否为生物技术领域的政策制定增添了解释维度，尤其是在转基因食品方面。该分析将有关转基因食品的保护性监管政策的制定与美国、加拿大和欧盟在不确定性容忍度和风险认知方面的国家及地区差异联系起来。基于民意调查数据和文件分析，研究结果表明这些差异很重要。在美国和加拿大，政策制定者在对不确定性高度容忍的环境中大多持机会主义的风险认知，从而修改了各自国家管理转基因食品的现有监管框架。相比之下，欧盟成员国对新食品技术大多持谨慎态度且对不确定性容忍度较低，这促成了管理转基因食品的详尽且严格的监管政策的制定。
