Rhetorical Priorities of Brazilian Nanotechnology Policy. Analysis on Innovation, Regulation, and Risks

Abstract

This article analyzes the rhetoric of Brazilian nanotechnology public policy from the perspective of its three fundamental descriptors: innovation, regulation, and risks. The authors examined official policy documents through the discursive approach of public policies and used literature review, content analysis, and semi-structured interviews as methodology. In conclusion, they found that innovation was the constant rhetorical priority in policy objectives and justifications, while regulation appeared as a legitimator of innovation. The risk factor was an avoided topic in policy rhetoric.