1,720,961 research outputs found
Talking about the revolution : nanotechnology and public dialogues
No full textNanotechnology is widely regarded as being a new industrial revolution which has the potential to transform our societies. After the mitigated success of GMO's in Europe, companies and governments alike realise the importance of public acceptance of new technologies. Consequently « nano-dialogue » initiatives have been launched in many countries. The authors analysis leads them to believe that too often these forums are too restrictive to address socio- ethical concerns and seem to be designed only to alleviate « groundless fears ».Projecteurs sur une révolution : nanotechnologie et échanges publics : On affirme souvent que les nanotechnologies conduiront à une nouvelle révolution industrielle. Après le succès mitigé des OGM en Europe, les industriels et les gouvernements ont perçu que l'acceptation d'une nouvelle technologie par les citoyens était nécessaire à son expansion. En conséquence, de nombreux « nano-dialogues » furent initiés dans différents pays. Les auteurs de cette note pensent cependant que ces forums doivent être davantage ouverts afin de discuter davantage les conséquences socio-éthiques de ce champ et pour qu'ils ne correspondent pas simplement à un instrument destiné à calmer les « peurs irrationnelles » du public.Vlandas Alexis, Wullweber Joscha. Talking about the revolution : nanotechnology and public dialogues. In: Quaderni, n°61, Automne 2006. La fabrique des nanotechnologies / The construction of nanotechnologies. pp. 103-107
Umkämpfte Natur: Genetische Ressourcen als Medium der Kapitalakkumulation
Full text linkThe author describes the regulation of the commodification of knowledge and genetic resources over time. He distinguishes between fordist- and postfordist modes of regulation referring in particular to the concept of the „societal relationship with nature“. In the century of bio- and information technology immaterial resources have become increasingly important. They are part of a new accumulation-regime in which the life science- and information-industry fills an important economic role. Patents and new technologies, like genetic engineering and nanotechnology, are inextricably linked to this process. Functioning as „commodification-technologies“ they enable the life science industry to enlarge capital accumulation by privatizing formerly societal resources. The author elaborates the inherent contradictions within this process and points out problems and conflicts within each period
Nanotechnologie als Allgemeinwohl: zur politisch-ökonomischen Konstruktion von Innovation
Full text linkIm vorliegenden Beitrag wird Innovationspolitik als ein sozio-politischer Prozess verstanden, in dem bestimmte technische Entwicklungen als herausragend - innovativ - dargestellt und ihnen eine positive Verbindung zum gesellschaftlichen Allgemeinwohl zugeschrieben wird. Dieser Konstruktionsprozess wird für die deutsche Forschungs- und Technologiepolitik am Beispiel der Nanotechnologie aufgezeigt. Die Nanotechnologie stellt den Kern eines umfassenden Innovationsprojektes dar, das Teil einer allgemeinen Rekonstruktion von Forschung und Entwicklung im Lichte eines Wettbewerbsparadigmas ist. Nach solchen Kriterien ausgerichtetes staatliches Handeln zielt darauf ab, permanente Innovation zu gewährleisten, um innerhalb einer in zunehmendem Maße globalisierten Ökonomie die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der eigenen Industrie beständig zu verbessern.Innovation policies constitute a socio-political process, which portrays certain technical developments as being innovative and articulating a strong relation to society’s common good. The article demonstrates this process of construction by way of German research and technology policies. It argues that nanotechnology represents the core of an encompassing innovation project. This innovation project forms part of a broader development, which aims at reconstructing research, and development in a more competitive way. State policies, which follow this paradigm, strive for permanent innovation in order to enhance the competitiveness of domestic industries in a globalized word
Heuristik statt politische Theorie: Eine postpositivistische Kritik des Rational-Choice-Ansatzes
Full text linkIn diesem Beitrag werden logische Konsequenzen, die sich aus den theoretischen Prämissen des Rational-Choice-Ansatzes für die politische Analyse ergeben, sowie dem Ansatz immanente Widersprüche aus postpositivistischer Sicht aufgezeigt. Die Grundprämissen des Rational-Choice-Ansatzes, insbesondere der methodologische Individualismus, der darauf aufbauende Universalismus und Objektivismus werden kritisch evaluiert. Zur Schärfung und Veranschaulichung der Kritik werden dem Rational-Choice-Ansatz postpositivistische Theorien und Konzepte wie Historizität, kontaminierte Universalität und soziale Objektivität gegenübergestellt. Insbesondere der fehlende Gesellschaftsbegriff und der starke, dem Ansatz zugrunde liegende Atomismus, grenzen ihn hiernach von anderen politischen Theorien ab. Zielsetzung dieses Beitrags ist es, die Differenzen zwischen dem Rational-Choice-Ansatz und postpositivistischen Theorien systematisch herauszuarbeiten und Möglichkeiten und Grenzen des Ansatzes für die politische Analyse zu diskutieren. Proceeding from a post-positivist point of view, this article examines the logical consequences and immanent contradictions that follow from the theoretical premises of the rational choice approach for political analysis. It offers a critical evaluation of the basic assumptions upon which rational choice theory is based, especially its methodological individualism, universalism, and objectivism. In order to sharpen and more clearly illustrate the argument, it contrasts rational choice with post-positivist theories and concepts, such as historicity, contaminated universality, and social objectivity. Rational choice differs from many political theories in the absence of a theory of society and its strong analytical atomism. The aim of the article is to systematically scrutinize the differences between rational choice and post-positivist theories and to discuss opportunities and limits of the former for political analysis
Nanotechnology An Empty Signifier à venir?
Full text linkThe aim of this article is twofold: First, I would like to theoretically contribute to Science and Technology Studies, and to Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, respectively, by introducing a hegemony- and discourse-theoretical inspired political economy as an interdisciplinary approach. And second, I shall present some tentative empirical analyses of the policy field of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is widely perceived as the key technology of the 21st century. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important in many government policies devoted to technology. Nanotechnology is supposedly appealing for many actors, since it is expected to both produce entirely new materials and revolutionize production processes in virtually all industrial branches. Approaching the nano-hype from a discourse-theoretical perspective, I shall show that nanotechnology is not a definite technology, but an empty signifier. This empty signifier provides the basis for an encompassing socio-economic project that is kept together only by the signifier itself. This 'innovation project' creates a link between nanotechnology and the future of the industrialised states. It aims, above others, at their reconstruction along competitive criteria as competition states . Hence, I shall locate nanotechnology policies within a discursive field of political and economic interests and strategies. My theoretical approach highlights the importance of hegemonic struggles for the construction of (political) reality. Hegemonic practices shape the discursive structure, which, in turn provides the strategic-selective conditions for articulation. Accordingly, policymaking can be described as a rather performative process, which uses complex systems of representation to establish a situation of stability and predictability. Hence, the governance of nanotechnology has to be understood as a contradictory battleground, where certain actors try to enforce their interests
Greener and cheaper: green monetary policy in the era of inflation and high interest rates
No full textIn recent years central bankers have devoted increased attention to the question of whether and how to intervene to address the growing environmental and climate crisis. The climate intervention debate gained momentum during a period of low inflation and loose monetary policy in core economies – a time characterised by near zero interest rates and large asset purchase programmes. Since 2021, however, the macroeconomic context has changed. Against this background, the paper analyses the contradictory and problematic nature of the direction monetary policy has taken in reaction to higher inflation. It argues that higher interest rates delay the green transformation by raising the cost of sustainable investments, and that the resulting delay also hampers prospects for achieving price stability. The paper concludes that the present macroeconomic environment demands a ‘greener and cheaper’ monetary policy approach designed to address the environmental and climate crisis and also to simultaneously fight inflation
Finanzmarktpolitik in Kriegszeiten: Wie wirkungsvoll sind die Finanzsanktionen gegen Russland?
No full textWestern governments adopted extensive financial sanctions against Russia at the very beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the freezing of Russia’s foreign currency reserves being particularly prominent. While these sanctions initially had a major impact and the ruble’s exchange rate crashed, Russia developed successful counterstrategies that eventually stabilized the ruble again. The question therefore arises whether financial sanctions are effective at all as a means of exerting pressure on Russia. The article attempts to answer this question by analyzing Russia’s particular conditions, its countermeasures and Nazi Germany’s fiscal policy methods
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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