Title: The decision Delphi as a tool of technology policy - the Austrian experience

Authors: Gunther Tichy

Addresses: Institut fur Technikfolgen-Abschatzung, Osterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Strohgasse 45/3, A-1030 Wien, Austria

Abstract: Foresight studies have come to be an important instrument of technology policy. No standard form, however, exists; custom-tailoring to the specific needs of the specific country is afforded. The Austrian foresight exercise had to investigate the market niches with a potential for Austrian dominance within the next 15 years. As a tool for this task, the instrument of the Decision Delphi was chosen and has been further developed. A Decision Delphi is a bottom-up approach, building on the participation of those persons involved in developing the relevant technologies. It is, therefore, a tool for foresight as well as for coordinating the expectations and decentralised actions. Panels of experts developed the questions in seven fields, selected by a set of preceding studies. The Delphi investigation had two rounds with a response rate of 46% and 71% and a total of 1127 responses at the end. Several interesting results emerged as to the most promising fields and the design of technology policy.

Keywords: technology foresight; Austria; small countries; Delphi method; innovations; decision Delphi; social foresight.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2001.002948

International Journal of Technology Management, 2001 Vol.21 No.7/8, pp.756-766

Published online: 26 Jun 2003 *

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