Science and citizenship: a new synergy

The relationship of science and citizenship is actively under discussion today in processes of social identity-making, including the identity of the citizen as producer and consumer of knowledge; the merger of consumption and citizenship through the use of market transactions to advance particular ways of knowing the world; and the work of politically relevant knowledge production, with citizens supplementing the role of experts. The papers in this special issue explore how, in each context, powerful institutions such as states and corporations are struggling to define principles by which to determine which citizens should be included, and on what terms, in relevant decisions and debates.