The Politics of Socio-technical Intervention: An Interactionist View

In this article, we apply concepts from symbolic interactionism - a well-established tradition of interpretivist sociology - to investigate the social and political processes involved in a sociotechnical intervention. The intervention was designed to elicit operator involvement in an experimental trial of an advanced manufacturing system at an industrial site in Australia. The interactionist concepts of social worlds, boundary objects and trajectories are used to explore the interrelationships among the theoretical, practical and contextual elements of intervention. We believe that these concepts are flexible intellectual resources that can extend and enrich our understanding of the politics involved in the shaping of work and technology. Such an understanding is necessary if the fields of user participation and sociotechnical design are to move beyond the production of normative discourses and methods into effective interventions in the complex social environments in which technical decisions are made.     

社会-技术系统的构成及其演化

为了弥补和修正创新系统理论与方法的局限性,在弗兰克·吉尔斯系统创新理论的基础上,本文引入和发展了社会-技术系统概念和方法.首先,将技术创新放在一个更广泛的社会文化背景下,提出了由小生境、社会-技术域和地景等所构成的社会-技术系统多层分析框架,接着分析了社会-技术系统、行动者和制度三者之间的六种互动机制,然后,运用多层分析框架,探讨了社会-技术系统从小生境到社会-技术域再到地景的创新演化过程.研究表明,社会-技术系统中的小生境、社会-技术域和地景三个层次既相互区分又相互补充,既可以看成层级的,或社会-技术系统的基本构成要素,也可以看成社会-技术系统演化或转型过程两个阶段中的三个节点.与创新系统方法将用户视为选择环境不同,社会-技术系统方法将用户视为社会-技术系统演化过程中的重要行动者和内在因素.     

Framing Work Through a Socio-technical Ensemble: The Case of Butler Co.

The paper argues for conceptualizing technology as a socio-technical ensemble which emerges from the socio-political context of the organization. This perspective is used to inform a case study carried out within a consumer goods company, where the focus is upon the configuration of work and technology associated with the job of sales representative. It is argued that the acquiescence and compliance of the sales representatives are to be understood primarily on the basis of senior management's effective deployment of its power resource through 'enacting the environment', the configuration and utilization of the ensemble, and its employment strategy. 'Closure' and 'stabilization' had occurred, and the ensemble was operating on a number of levels.     

Framing Work Through a Socio-technical Ensemble: The Case of Butler Co.

The paper argues for conceptualizing technology as a socio-technical ensemble which emerges from the socio-political context of the organization. This perspective is used to inform a case study carried out within a consumer goods company, where the focus is upon the configuration of work and technology associated with the job of sales representative. It is argued that the acquiescence and compliance of the sales representatives are to be understood primarily on the basis of senior management's effective deployment of its power resource through 'enacting the environment', the configuration and utilization of the ensemble, and its employment strategy. 'Closure' and 'stabilization' had occurred, and the ensemble was operating on a number of levels.     

The Alleged Value Neutrality of Economics: An Alternative View

This paper analyzes bank lending activities for owner-occupied housing loan extensions to minority members of Mississippi’s population. We analyze data on housing loan applications and accessibility patterns among the minority Black population relative to the majority White population groups in the State. The study looks hard at data for evidence of any patterns of discrimination toward minority housing loan applicants. And a Probit model is applied to examine the relative importance of economic variables (such as employment status, income level, and credit rating) versus noneconomic parameters (such as geographical location) in the housing loan decision making of banks toward minority borrowers. The evidence from our comparative data analysis suggests that there is a consistently high denial rates for minorities, which is not explained by financial (economic) factors. The formal test of discrimination with the Probit analysis also indicates some evidence of discrimination from, at least, the standpoint of redlining practices, albeit only with a modest predictive power.     

Rethinking Political Process in Technological Change: Socio-technical Configurations and Frames

The political process perspective has done much to enhance our understanding of the organizational effects of technological change as a negotiated outcome reflecting the political and power dynamics of the adopting context. In so doing, we suggest, technology has been marginalized as an analytical category and the problem of change agency, although better understood, remains largely unresolved. This article addresses these issues through the articulation of the concepts of socio-technical configurations and technological frames and explores their utility in understanding change agency through an action research project. The project sought a novel form of 'socio-technology' transfer, taking ideas and concepts of 'human-centered' manufacturing embodied in team-based cellular manufacture from a European context into three firms in Australia.     

法经济学视角下我国宪政的经济功能

与西方国家宪政的功能相比,我国宪政的突出功能就是经济功能.宪政的经济功能是宪政功能的一种作用形式,是宪政对于经济产生特定影响的表现形式和由此形成的结果.从法经济学的角度进行分析,我国宪政的经济功能包括宪政对社会资源进行合理分配的功能,满足市场经济发展需求的政治、法律和文化供给功能以及宏观调控功能.     

Rainwater harvesting in the UK: Socio-technical theory and practice

There is currently a window of opportunity in the UK, with respect to promoting sustainable water management (SWM). Periods of alternating drought and flooding have brought water management issues to the fore of UK media coverage and policy development. Unchallenged reliance on the historic legacy of piped infrastructure is declining, as its resilience and adaptability in the face of climate change become increasingly questioned. Despite its prevalence in other countries and a recent surge in sales, rainwater harvesting (RWH) has yet to transition from niche to mainstream in the UK. This paper provides an overview of the development of a strategic framework for enabling RWH to transition from novel to mainstream, informed by a number of evidence bases and devised using insight gained through the application of a number of theories. Identified strategic areas for action include (i) Technical Relevance (product development); (ii) Social Receptivity (capacity building) and (ii) Institutional Commitment (support services).     

技术创新视角下的政府积极干预

技术创新与政府干预是紧密联系在一起的：一方面，技术创新的过程离不开政府的干预；另一方面，技术创新目标的实现需要政府的干预来协调。政府实施正确的干预方式和政策对技术创新具有积极的促进作用。     

中原城市群建设的国际视角

国外三个著名的都市圈都是各自国家内的经济社会极化地区,经济总量最大,单位面积产出多,产业、人口和从业人员高度集聚,中心城市能力强。与之相比,中原城市群有较大的差距,但是发展的潜力巨大。今后建设的对策是:强化郑州中心城市的功能,集聚人口和产业到中原城市群,提高城市土地利用效率和产业技术水平,促进地区间的积极竞争,把“流”变成“留”。     

政治学维度的中国公共预算研究现状与进一步发展之见解

与传统预算研究不同,公共预算主要从预算政治与预算技术两个角度展开,并主要由政治学者与公共管理学者主导.本文主要描述了新兴的我国公共预算研究的现状,并提出了下一步的发展思路.     

网络治理理论及其新进展:一个演化的观点

网络治理作为一种新的治理形式,已日益引起了理论界和实业界的广泛关注。本文将从组织治理演化的视角对网络治理的基本理论及其新进展进行综述。首先阐释了网络治理产生的背景,其次论证了网络治理是不同于科层治理和市场治理的一种新的治理形式,接着给出了网络治理的一般理论和基本框架,并就存在的问题进行评述,得出网络治理理论研究的正确方法应该是基于多学科交叉基础之上的系统性探索,最后对网络治理的新进展进行了深入分析,进而指出知识治理维度将是网络治理研究的未来方向。     

社会—技术系统可持续转型阻力及治理研究——基于利基保护空间思路

可持续转型研究是一个发展迅速的新领域,旨在解释社会-技术系统转型如何发生以及如何治理，其理论影响日益显著。然而，当前实践表明，以能源、交通为代表的系统转型进程依然相当缓慢，因此厘清转型进程中的阻力具有重要意义。归纳分析系统转型的基本要求以及转型动态过程和机制，从产业结构、基础设施、知识基础、市场和消费需求结构、公共政策与政治力量及社会认知6个方面分析社会-技术系统中现行非持续体制，对新的可持续技术利基发展和转型进程构成阻力。在现行技术体制稳定情况下，加速转型进程必须扶持技术利基成长，从防护、培育、赋能3个方面建立和强化利基保护空间功能,突破体制路径依赖。最后，从“谁治理、治理什么、如何治理”3个问题切入，提出在利基保护空间动态发展过程中，政策制定者需要以治理思维推进其战略管理。     

Rethinking Political Process in Technological Change: Socio-technical Configurations and Frames

The political process perspective has done much to enhance our understanding of the organizational effects of technological change as a negotiated outcome reflecting the political and power dynamics of the adopting context. In so doing, we suggest, technology has been marginalized as an analytical category and the problem of change agency, although better understood, remains largely unresolved. This article addresses these issues through the articulation of the concepts of socio-technical configurations and technological frames and explores their utility in understanding change agency through an action research project. The project sought a novel form of 'socio-technology' transfer, taking ideas and concepts of 'human-centered' manufacturing embodied in team-based cellular manufacture from a European context into three firms in Australia.     

The Economics and Politics of Trade Policy: An Empirical Analysis of ITC Decision Making

The paper studies the determinants of trade policy decisions, focusing specifically on antidumping and countervailing duty statutes administered by the International Trade Commission (ITC). Using detailed industry, import, and political pressure data, ITC decision making is modeled, weighing the relative impact of economic and political factors in predicting policy outcomes. It is found that the ITC's decision making is significantly influenced by both economic and political factors. However, because an industry has much greater ability to create political pressure than induce economic injury, the results highlight the strategic importance of oversight representation and PAC contributions in an industry's bid for protection.     

社会—技术系统可持续转型阻力及治理研究——基于利基保护空间思路

可持续转型研究是一个发展迅速的新领域,旨在解释社会-技术系统转型如何发生以及如何治理,其理论影响日益显著。然而,当前实践表明,以能源、交通为代表的系统转型进程依然相当缓慢,因此厘清转型进程中的阻力具有重要意义。归纳分析系统转型的基本要求以及转型动态过程和机制,从产业结构、基础设施、知识基础、市场和消费需求结构、公共政策与政治力量及社会认知6个方面分析社会-技术系统中现行非持续体制,对新的可持续技术利基发展和转型进程构成阻力。在现行技术体制稳定情况下,加速转型进程必须扶持技术利基成长,从防护、培育、赋能3个方面建立和强化利基保护空间功能,突破体制路径依赖。最后,从“谁治理、治理什么、如何治理”3个问题切入,提出在利基保护空间动态发展过程中,政策制定者需要以治理思维推进其战略管理。