Science & Technology Studies

Exploring the Geopolitical Limits of Responsible Innovation and Technology Assessment

2024-01-08T14:14:20+02:00

The central argument of this paper is that the frameworks of responsible innovation (RI) and technology assessment (TA) are rooted in an antiquated political and geopolitical paradigm, thus necessitating a conceptual overhaul. This argument is supported by two primary reasons. First, RI and TA are not neutral towards technological innovation; instead, they inherently align with a specific political and geopolitical model: the liberal world order (LWO). This model currently faces significant challenges and crises, which I investigated through a literature review of RI and TA and a subsequent political and geopolitical analysis. Second, the very essence of our technologies has dramatically transformed over the past 20 years. We now live in a world dominated by intricate global engineering systems that are not only political but also geopolitical in nature. These transnational systems influence the decisions and interactions of nations. The current LWO framework struggles to effectively grasp and manage these influential global systems. In addition, this paper presents a reinterpreted version of Rodrik’s trilemma. This reformulation was designed to consolidate and expand upon the insights already gained. It revisits the issues identified, emphasising the urgency of revamping both TA and RI, particularly in light of the unique challenges posed by the Anthropocene. As we embark on this reassessment, the invaluable insights from philosophical reflections should not be underestimated.

Steered or Guided by Numbers?

2022-10-28T12:14:11+03:00

Concepts like 'the metric society' and 'the tyranny of metrics' suggest that quantitative information increasingly shapes and steers policy and governance. This paper engages critically with such assumptions by using domestication theory to analyse how Norwegian climate and energy policy actors make sense of, assemble, and employ numeric information. Through analysis of interviews with politicians and public employees working with climate and energy policies in the Norwegian government administration, we identified three main categories of narratives of domesticating quantitative information: (1) Numeric engagements, (2) Uncertainty, and (3) Pragmatic information management. Employees in the administration articulated either of the two first categories, while politicians and political advisors performed the third. All interviewees highlighted the need for more cautious and reflexive approaches to numeric information rather than enthusiastically embracing such information. In their decision-making, the policymakers appeared to be guided by numbers rather than steered by them.

How Sociotechnical Systems Adapt to Change

2023-10-06T16:09:11+03:00

This paper addresses the topic of the dynamics of sociotechnical change of reproductive technologies and, in particular, the relationship between sociotechnical systems as described by TP Hughes and their environments. The co-production approach and sociotechnical imaginaries defined by S Jasanoff and SH Kim allow to explain the dynamics of technical change through the interweaving of technoscientific and social practices; and the concept of ‘reproductive imaginaries’ provides a better analysis of the back and forth adjustment between the system and its environment in a way that avoids the soft determinism that still persists in traditional accounts of sociotechnical change. I argue that reproductive technologies are co-produced with its environment in dialectical processes through specific technologies and reproductive imaginaries. Finally, I defend that this system performed adaptations even when it is mature.

Framed Uncertainty

2023-08-16T09:51:24+03:00

Residential wood stoves are often highlighted as the worst pollution source of PM2.5 air pollution in Denmark, accounting for 52 percent of national emissions. This unambiguous number implies accuracy, and that researchers know how much PM2.5 pollution can be attributed to residential wood stoves with precision. But we demonstrate in this article that emissions from wood stoves are notoriously uncertain and key parameters largely unknown. While the problem of wood stove emissions is often tied to the stove itself, this article illuminates the socio-technical assemblage surrounding wood stoves as an often overlooked aspect. Drawing upon discussions of uncertainty, we first show how knowledge about the socio-technical assemblage is constructed based on assumptions that emerge from domains of imperceptibility. Second, we argue that kindling practices can be understood as a kind of uncertainty which cannot be known with any degree of probability. To make better sense of wood stove emissions in public policy, we propose a ‘framed uncertainty’ lens to highlight the particular kind of uncertainty associated with key parameters in the socio-technical wood stove assemblage. Finally, we discuss the implications of changing the policy frame towards the socio-technical assemblage surrounding wood stoves in terms of reducing emissions.

Stengers Isabelle (2024) Virgin Mary and the Neutrino: Reality in Trouble

2025-01-06T17:29:17+02:00

Hennion Antoine and Levaux Christophe (2023) Rethinking Music through Science and Technology Studies

2024-08-28T17:37:37+03:00