Awards

• Short-listed for Donald Smiley Prize, Canadian Political Science Association 2020 (Canada)

Overview

Are assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) such as in vitro fertilization a medical issue or a matter of public policy, subject to restrictions? In Delivering Policy, Francesca Scala employs the concept of boundary work to explain the prolonged debates that ensued when the Canadian government appointed a royal commission in 1989 to draw up a blueprint for legislative action. From the birth of the first “test tube baby” in 1978 to the Assisted Human Reproduction Act of 2004, Scala reveals how policy makers, civil society actors, and members of the medical-scientific community attempted to define assisted reproductive technologies from within the realms of science or politics. They challenged, defended, or blurred the boundaries or divisions between the two fields of knowledge to secure their position as the authoritative voice on the issue. Delivering Policy delineates in vivid detail the people, institutions, and processes that influenced ARTs policy in Canada. This compelling account contributes to our understanding of the interaction between science and politics, the exercise of social control over science and technology, and the politics of expertise in policy making.

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9780774860109

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Reviews

In Delivering Policy, Francesca Scala provides a comprehensive, fascinating and well-written study of the evolution of assisted reproductive technology policies in Canada. Through the concept of boundary work, Scala demonstrates how different actors - scientists, policy-makers, activists - have attempted to challenge, blur or reinforce the boundary between science and politics since the appointment of the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies in 1989. Weaving a detailed analysis of policy documents with engaging testimonies from participants in those debates, the book ultimately presents a nuanced and persuasive account of the impact of discursive strategies and the broader political and institutional contexts. -- Prize Jury, 2020 Donald Smiley Prize

Author Information

Francesca Scala is an associate professor of public policy in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University. She is the co-editor of Fertile Ground: Exploring Reproduction in Canada.

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