It is a curious situation that technologies we now take for granted have, when first introduced, so often stoked public controversy and concern for public welfare. At the root of this tension is the perception that the benefits of new technologies will accrue only to small sections of society, while the risks will be more widely distributed.Drawing from nearly 600 years of technology history, Calestous Juma identifies the tension between the need for innovation and the pressure to maintain continuity, social order, and stability as one of today's biggest policy challenges. He reveals the extent to which modern technological controversies grow out of distrust in public and private institutions and shows how new technologies emerge, take root, and create new institutional ecologies that favor their establishment in the marketplace. Innovation and Its Enemies calls upon public leaders to work with scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to manage technological change and expand public engagement on scientific and technological matters.

AcknowledgementsIntroduction1. Gales of Creative Destruction2. Brewing Trouble: Coffee3. Stop the Presses: Printing the Koran4. Smear Campaigns: Margarine5. Gaining Traction: Farm Mechanization6. Charged Arguments: Electricity7. Cool Reception: Mechanical Refrigeration8. Facing the Music: Recorded Sound9. Taking Root: Transgenic Crops10. Swimming against the Current: AquAdvantage Salmon11. Oiling the Wheels of NoveltyNotesReferencesIndex