Public Participation and Nuclear Power Politics
| Published date | 01 November 1981 |
| Date | 01 November 1981 |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9256.1981.tb00057.x |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Citizens
and
People
35
References
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-0-000-0-
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND NUCLEAR POWER POLITICS
WOLFGANG
idD
1
G
The social sciences, like all the sciences, cannot be neutral or stand apart
One
from political interests and conflicts. This is particularly the case when social
scientists are called on by governments to give advice on 'policy problems'.
recent (rather unexpected) problem for Western democracies has been the rapid growth
of social movements opposed to civilian nuclear power programmes and installations.
Governments have commissioned and paid social scientists to advise on optimal ways
of preventing the anti-nuclear opposition from delaying or halting the implementa-
tion
of
nuclear power programmes.
In international terms Britain came late to the nuclear power debate, which
remains muted and under-developed.
So
it
is
not surprising that British social
scientists have only recently become involved as policy advisors on nuclear power.
It
is worthwhile looking at the experience of West Germany, where the nuclear power
issue was politicized much earlier, to see how this policy advisor role can deve-
lop. After this
1
return to Britain and examine in detail proposals for 'improving'
public participation on nuclear issues put forward by Pearce, Edwards and Beuret
(1979) in their recent book Decision Making for Energy Futures.
1.
In West Germany
it
became clear in
1974-5
that the nuclear energy programme
could not be implemented without political difficulties.
As
a result the govern-
ment commissioned a research project from the Battelle-lnstitut, Frankfurt, des-
igned to find out what the reasons were for this new protest and
to
give advice
on how
it
should be handled. The study group reported in February 1975.(1)
At
much the same time a major conflict erupted over the siting of a nuclear power
plant near Wyhl, a small village in a wine-growing area
of
south-west Germany,
close to the French and Swiss borders.
some other protestors first occupied the prolposed site on
18
February
1975.
The
site was forcefully cleared by police
two
days later, triggering a second site
occupation on
23
February, when 28,000 people joined the protest. The nuclear
energy programme was promoted to the status
of
a national issue in the course
of a few days.(2)
at the right time and
it
became the cornerstone of their political strategy against
the anti-nuclear movement.
site, interviewing local inhabitants and protest group leaders, observing 'pro-
test groups in action' and carrying out a media analysis. They concluded that
Nuclear power politics
in
West ~e~~n~
Local farmers and wine-growers along with
The government had the results of the Battetle study to hand
The Battelle team undertook field work at Wyhl and another potential nuclear
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