39 Biotechnology and the political sociology of risk Edward J. Woodhouse Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA Correspondence to : E.J. Woodhouse, STS Department. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA. Abstract Woodhouse, E.J., 1992. Biotechnology and the political sociology of risk. Industrial Crisis Quart- erly, 6: 39-53. A framework is proposed for a constructive political sociology of risk, and the framework is used to evaluate whether the commercialization of biotechnology is proceeding via strategies likely to cope satisfactorily with unintended con- sequences, organizational inertia, socioeconomic risks and other social aspects of biotechnological innovations. Introduction The field of molecular genetics, popularly referred to as &dquo;biotechnology,&dquo; poses a combination of alluring opportunities and significant risks possibly unparal- lelled among civilian technologies likely to mature early in the twenty-first cen- tury. This paper analyzes selected aspects of the sociology of biotechnological risks. A conceptual framework for a constructive sociology of risk is outlined, and, as an exemplar of how the framework can be applied, the mid-1970s’ con- troversy over early biotechnology research is reviewed. The extent to which biotechnology decision makers are protecting against foreseeable problems, in- cluding both socioeconomic and environmental effects, is examined. Finally, the overall prospect of moving toward more intelligent use of technical inge- nuity, and on the role therein of the sociology of risk, is considered.