Bio-basing society by including emotions

A bio-based economy needs a bio-minded society since the required actions are of a collective scale. Engagement of civic society is crucial but disregarded by some of the advocates of the bio-based turn. Connecting society to this complex transition is difficult and so far insufficient. Technocratic one-directional communication strategies that aim to nurture public trust and support for the transition to a bio-based economy often backfire. Besides, 'tamed', institutionalised public participation approaches to legitimise policies may frustrate the public rather than facilitate engagement. What is needed is an approach that engages the public as active citizens, in an open-ended process. This pre-conditional 'state of engagement' can only exist when the public feels it holds a stake and has a voice. Initiating such engagement is not possible through rational deliberative processes. In this paper we consider and explore the value of emotions for strengthening public engagement. We argue for a mentality change with regard to the potential role of citizens in a bio-based economy.