The trajectory of scientific citizenship in Denmark: changing balances between public competence and public participation

The understanding of relations between science and the public is divided between two competing paradigms: one that focuses on citizen competence and one-way dissemination of knowledge, and another that emphasizes public participation and dialogue. This article proposes an integrative framework that regards competence and participation as important dimensions of ‘scientific citizenship’, and focuses on the changing balance between these dimensions. Recounting developments in Denmark, it is argued that the trajectory of scientific citizenship in Denmark runs counter to the broader European trend. In the 2000s, Danish policies and social practices concerned with the interplay between science and the public have been highly focused on one-way dissemination, and the traditional ‘Danish model’ of institutionalized, deliberative public participation in science and technology decision-making, which developed in the course of the 1980s and received international renown, has lost much of its influence.