Final Report Editor Ulrike Felt June 2003

Comparative Perspective 618
2. Centralisation and Decentralisation strategies
Issues concerning centralisation are often linked to PUS activities. A major issue
concerns the way in which research-based knowledge is produced in central locations
and how diffusion models are invoked in order to spread knowledge. Variations of
“deficit models” have been thoroughly criticised within current PUS research by the
STS communities in different European countries. Some of the findings of this research
suggest that centralisation and decentralisation must both be considered where issues
of power and knowledge are linked. The centralisation of knowledge and power may or
may not be seen as a problem by governments; it carries obvious advantages by
making it easy to construct and control power networks. Research on PUS, on the
other hand, is typically highly critical of centralised structures on the basis that
promoting citizen empowerment and democratisation of science requires
decentralisation and local control.
Austria
The Austrian PUS profile exhibits a relatively strong centralisation. Governmental
bodies are undisputedly the key players. Furthermore, there is a very high
concentration of media power in the hands of very few players, who thus wield
enormous influence over what information is given to the public. Finally, geographical
centralisation, with Vienna as the focal point, is a clear feature of the Austrian PUS
landscape. Centralisation is even identified as a problem in numerous policy
documents, but so far there have been no clear measures to change towards a more
balanced spread of activities over the regions. Recently, there have been initiatives by
regional administrations to foster more science-public activities and science
communication at the regional level.
There are several reasons why regional institutions are seeking to establish a
counterbalance to the centralisation present around the national capital. One such
reason is simply that public responsibilities in the local sphere differ from national
competencies and issues. Thus, the regions try to contribute to science-publicinteractions
that are relevant to specific, local issues such as environmental quality,
GMOs and farming.
Belgium
As a consequence of the bi-cultural character of the country and the federalisation of
the State, PUST is obviously decentralised in Belgium. There is little symmetry
between PUST initiatives in the Flemish and Walloon parts of the country, in the areas
of media, science centres, NGOs, consultation and foresight, and events. The only
broadly similar initiatives are those inherited from before federalisation and those