Changing regimes of science and politics: comparative and transnational perspectives for a world in transition

Abstract

Against the background of previous historical changes in the configuration of science and politics, this article explores the particular new qualities of more recent changes in the relationship between these two domains. Reconfigurations of politics are outlined at the national, supranational, and international levels, while reconfigurations of science are presented with regard to four high-technologies (nuclear, information and communication, bio, and nano-technologies), hereby aiming at the interdependencies between politics and science. To this end, a regime analytical framework is developed that allows for a focus on the configuration of science and technology in society ‘as a whole,’ paying attention to comparative variation and the significance of institutions, practices, and discourses.