The Elgar Encyclopedia of Technology and Politics is a landmark resource that offers a comprehensive overview of the ways in which technological development is reshaping politics. Providing an unparalleled starting point for research, it addresses all the major contemporary aspects of the field. Divided into five thematic parts, the Encyclopedia investigates the existing academic literature on the main subfields in this area, before introducing innovative digital research methods. It then highlights the pivotal political and non-political actors leading the process of technological innovation, clarifies key concepts and terms in the field, and finally covers emerging and debated topics. This Encyclopedia will be particularly invaluable for early career researchers and advanced students in politics looking for a concise entry point into any of the various ways in which technology shapes the field. It will also be useful for practitioners to familiarise themselves with the analytical opportunities provided by computational social and political sciences. Key Features: Entries written by over 90 scholars from 33 different countries on 5 continents Accessible starting point for research into the key literature, topics and debates in the field Introduces important new digital methods such as machine learning, text analysis and network analysis Defines and clarifies the meaning of contested terms such as disinformation, echo chambers and fake news

While much has been written about the U.S. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program from both an institutional and a policy perspective, there remains a conspicuous void of general information about firms and research projects that are funded through the program. Providing a multi-dimensional picture of such firms and their projects, this incisive book is designed to help the reader understand in more depth the social benefits associated with the SBIR program. Albert N. Link and Martijn van Hasselt discuss the U.S. SBIR program from an institutional, empirical, and policy perspective, examining the policy transfer of the program to other countries, the transfer of technical knowledge through patents and scientific publications, and the technology transfer of commercialised research outputs. Exploring new program and project relationships, the book could serve as a springboard for future in-depth analyses about the SBIR program and its impact on economic and social matters. Forward-thinking in approach, Small Firms and U.S. Technology Policy provides a roadmap for future academic and policy research into the SBIR program, making it a valuable read for scholars and students of business and management studies. U.S. and international policymakers and business owners will also benefit from its discerning look into the SBIR program.

Breakthroughs in science and technology increasingly happen outside of firms in informal interorganizational communities of innovators. The effort of a group on a specific topic across firms, expertise, and geography can function as an emergent organizational form, capable of great productivity. Using data from computer science, basic research, and management strategy to identify and study these intense clusters of innovators, or 'knowledge communities,' this book illuminates the new organizational logics that govern such collective success. The interplay between organizational boundaries and interorganizational collaboration reveals interesting and counterintuitive lessons about how science and technology work in practice. These insights fundamentally challenge the centrality of both firm boundaries and geographic clusters for innovation in favor of a decentralized network perspective. Academics seeking to understand innovation in science and technology, allocators of grants and research support, corporate R&D departments, policy makers and NGOs, venture capitalists, and management consultants will all benefit from this original and challenging work.

In this insightful book, Peter Edlund takes a status-based approach to theorizing the development of the European Research Council (ERC). Drawing upon rich empirical material, the author vividly details how the ERC was transformed from a funding organization into an authoritative status intermediary in European science. Edlund's innovative approach illustrates the ERC's path toward pre-eminence, building on a theoretical framework that the author uses to analyze evidence from Swedish and European contexts in an intriguing exploration of research funding allocated under the flagship Starting Grant scheme. Offering a field perspective on the multi-layered interactions between candidates and audiences within which the ERC was constructed as a status intermediary, this book redirects attention toward key antecedents that allow us to understand many of the extensive consequences generated by the ERC's funding. Blending theoretical models and empirical findings, Edlund's book will appeal to academics seeking advances in status theory. Practitioners and policymakers working with research funding will also benefit from its account of the historic development of the ERC and the consequences of its funding across Europe.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This insightful Advanced Introduction provides an in-depth review of current U.S. technology policy, tracing the legislative history of policies such as the Economic Recovery Tax Act, the Small Business Innovation Development Act and the National Cooperative Research Act. The critical elements of the ecosystem in which technology policy exists are also discussed, with a particular focus on U.S. patent policy and U.S. investments in infrastructure technology. Key features include: Historical trace of U.S. technology policy ideas over the past 75 years Comparison of U.S. technology policies to those in other nations Agenda for future thinking about U.S. technology policy Integrated discussion of U.S. technology policy Economic rationale for U.S. technology policy This Advanced Introduction will be invaluable for international business leaders and policymakers, in addition to scholars in economics, public administration, business and public policy.

This book is about inventions and innovation in U.S. Federal Laboratories. The inventions discussed are defined by the technology transfer mechanism known by the term invention disclosures, and the innovations that follow are outputs from the technology transfer process. The demonstrated positive relationships in the book's model are the groundwork for suggesting not only a rethinking of the extant empirical research, within the context of a knowledge production function, but also a refocusing of U.S. technology policy in support of technology transfer from Federal Laboratories. Invention, Innovation and U.S. Federal Laboratories brings a comprehensive and accessible discussion of technology transfer to academic researchers in economics, public policy, and public administration, as well as to policy makers and Federal Laboratory directors.

Science has become a central political concern with massive increases in public investment, but resources are embedded in a complex web of expectations that vary between countries and regions. This book outlines an insightful understanding of science policy as both concerning the governance of science itself through priority-setting, funding, organization and articulation with polity, society and economy, and its extra-organizational connections in terms of higher education, innovation and national policy concerns. The New Global Politics of Science examines how science and innovation have become truly global, and the consequences of this for scientists, policymakers and citizens. This book provides an overview of how research policies have evolved in different countries and contexts. It also examines how science research has been aligned with nation-building and state-formation, enmeshed in meta-governance, and how this relates to economic growth. Analysing how knowledge policies have been forged in their specific historical and geographical settings, this book will be an invaluable tool for scholars and policymakers in the fields of science, innovation and public policy.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This insightful Advanced Introduction provides an in-depth review of current U.S. technology policy, tracing the legislative history of policies such as the Economic Recovery Tax Act, the Small Business Innovation Development Act and the National Cooperative Research Act. The critical elements of the ecosystem in which technology policy exists are also discussed, with a particular focus on U.S. patent policy and U.S. investments in infrastructure technology. Key features include: Historical trace of U.S. technology policy ideas over the past 75 years Comparison of U.S. technology policies to those in other nations Agenda for future thinking about U.S. technology policy Integrated discussion of U.S. technology policy Economic rationale for U.S. technology policy This Advanced Introduction will be invaluable for international business leaders and policymakers, in addition to scholars in economics, public administration, business and public policy.

Given the recent re-evaluation of research funding policy as an issue central to national governments and the EU, it is imperative that underlying rationales and channels for investment in research and development are examined. A pioneering analysis of the complexity, allocation and management of public funding of research, this Handbook explores the strategies whereby research can be successfully targeted and supported to resolve problems of broad public concern. Used effectively, the Handbook finds, research has the potential to support economic growth, create jobs, enhance social welfare, protect the environment and expand the frontiers of human knowledge. Taking a multi-level approach, chapters strategise ways to address various funding objectives through analysis of policy design, policy instruments, research organisations, and researchers, while remedying disparities resulting from the distribution of research funds. The Handbook's expansive scope, which covers variation in goals and instrument management over time and across countries, facilitates an approach that not only scrutinises existing paradigms of public research funding but also looks to the future. With authoritative analysis and theoretical frameworks by leading scholars, the Handbook employs an interdisciplinary approach that combines sociology of sciences, political sciences and economics. It will prove a useful resource for scholars and researchers in science policy studies, alongside policy analysts in ministries and research funding organisations seeking to better understand their working environment.

This thought-provoking book expands on the notion that Big Science is not the only term to describe and investigate particularly large research projects, scientific collaborations and facilities. It investigates the significant overlap between Big Science and Research Infrastructures (RIs) in a European context since the early twenty-first century. Contributions to this innovative book not only augment the study of Big Science with new perspectives, but also launch the study of RIs as a promising new line of inquiry. Chapters testify to a generational shift that is taking place in this field, amending and complementing prior analyses of Big Science. Advancing our knowledge, this interdisciplinary book explores how Big Science and RIs can be categorized, how the politics around them can be understood, and how they relate to the surrounding science and research policy landscape of Europe. Big Science and Research Infrastructures in Europe will be of value to students and scholars interested in science and innovation policy across sociology, economics, management and political science. Policymakers, science administrators and operators of RIs will also benefit from the critical insights provided. Contributors include: I.K. Bolliger, A. Collsioeoe, K.C. Cramer, B. D'Ippolito, H. Eriksson, T. Franssen, A. Griffiths, O. Hallonsten, J.-C. Mauduit, M. Moskovko, N. Ruffin, C.-C. Ruling, I. Ulnicane, A. Williams

Blockchain has the potential to revolutionize how people and organizations, who may not know or trust each other, share information and carry out transactions online. Nearly every institution on the planet wants to be a leader in blockchain technology as well as a home to significant platforms, applications, and companies. There is a need for a glocal policy to meet and support these goals as blockchain technology must embrace glocal values and ideals in its legal and regulatory frameworks. Glocal Policy and Strategies for Blockchain: Building Ecosystems and Sustainability discusses the features and advantages of blockchain technology, the innovative applications of blockchain technology, and the potent and limited aspects of blockchain technology. Covering topics such as digital change, international policy, and cyber security governance, this reference work is ideal for industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.

This provocative book investigates the relationship between law and artificial intelligence (AI) governance, and the need for new and innovative approaches to regulating AI and big data in ways that go beyond market concerns alone and look to sustainability and social good. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the contributors demonstrate the interplay between various research methods, and policy motivations, to show that law-based regulation and governance of AI is vital to efforts at ensuring justice, trust in administrative and contractual processes, and inclusive social cohesion in our increasingly technologically-driven societies. The book provides valuable insights on the new challenges posed by a rapid reliance on AI and big data, from data protection regimes around sensitive personal data, to blockchain and smart contracts, platform data reuse, IP rights and limitations, and many other crucial concerns for law's interventions. The book also engages with concerns about the 'surveillance society', for example regarding contact tracing technology used during the Covid-19 pandemic. The analytical approach provided will make this an excellent resource for scholars and educators, legal practitioners (from constitutional law to contract law) and policy makers within regulation and governance. The empirical case studies will also be of great interest to scholars of technology law and public policy. The regulatory community will find this collection offers an influential case for law's relevance in giving institutional enforceability to ethics and principled design.

The Future of Open Data flows from a multi-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant project that set out to explore open government geospatial data from an interdisciplinary perspective. Researchers on the grant adopted a critical social science perspective grounded in the imperative that the research should be relevant to government and civil society partners in the field. This book builds on the knowledge developed during the course of the grant and asks the question, "What is the future of open data?" The contributors' insights into the future of open data combine observations from five years of research about the Canadian open data community with a critical perspective on what could and should happen as open data efforts evolve. Each of the chapters in this book addresses different issues and each is grounded in distinct disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspectives. The opening chapter reflects on the origins of open data in Canada and how it has progressed to the present date, taking into account how the Indigenous data sovereignty movement intersects with open data. A series of chapters address some of the pitfalls and opportunities of open data and consider how the changing data context may impact sources of open data, limits on open data, and even liability for open data. Another group of chapters considers new landscapes for open data, including open data in the global South, the data priorities of local governments, and the emerging context for rural open data.

Innovation is critically important for countries seeking to maintain or improve their competitive advantage in the global economy. This book addresses the major current policy debates in science, technology and innovation focusing mainly on Europe but also including comparisons with other countries around the world.The R&D policies of five European countries - the UK, The Netherlands, France, Finland and Germany - are examined to understand national innovation systems and public policies, the determination of R&D spending priorities, research responsibilities and the allocation of funds. The authors combine interviews with senior civil servants, analyses of government publications and various government statistics on R&D performance. They consider national debates on science, technology and innovation policies within the wider context of the overarching political and administrative culture, and relate actual innovation and research policies to structural and institutional features of national economies. This book will be warmly welcomed by scholars and all those in decision making positions in government and non-governmental institutions on research, innovation and technology.

This timely book explores technological innovation as a concept, dissecting its emergence, development and use. Benoit Godin offers an exciting new historiography of the subject, arguing that the study of innovation originates not from scholars but from practitioners of innovation. Godin looks to engineers, managers, consultants and policymakers as the instigators of our current understanding of technological innovation. Offering a conceptual history of the subject, Part I considers the many iterations of innovation - as an science applied, outcome, process and system - to track and analyse the changing discourses surrounding technological innovation. In Part II, the author turns to historic and contemporary innovation policy to illustrate the critical role that practitioners have had in formulating and strategizing policy. Effectively rewriting the historiography of the topic, this book is critical reading for scholars of innovation studies, sociology and the history of science and technology. Students will benefit from Godin's pioneering approach to the subject and policymakers will also find value in the book's unique insight into innovation.

From the winner of the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize, a thrilling and thought-provoking account of the rise and fall of humankind.

For the first time in over ten millennia, the rate of human population growth is slowing down. The global population is forecast to begin declining in the second half of this century, and in 10,000 years’ time, our species will likely be extinct.

In The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire, Henry Gee shows how we arrived at this crucial moment in our history, beginning his story deep in the palaeolithic past and charting our dramatic rise from one species of human among many – teetering on the edge of extinction for more than a hundred millennia – to the most dominant animal to ever live on Earth.

But rapid climate change, a stagnating global economy, falling birth rates and an unexplainable decline in average human sperm count are combining to make our chances for longevity increasingly slim. There could be a way forward, but the launch window is narrow.

Gee argues that unless Homo sapiens establishes successful colonies in space within the next two centuries, our species is likely to stay earthbound and will have vanished entirely within another 10,000 years, bringing the seven-million-year story of the human lineage to an end.

Drawing on a dazzling array of the latest scientific research, Gee tells the extraordinary story of humanity with characteristic warmth and wit, and suggests how our exceptional species might avoid its tragic fate.

Exploring academic and policy thinking on e-participation, this book opens up the organizational and institutional 'black box' and provides new insights into how public administrations in 15 European states have facilitated its implementation. Using multiple case studies, the book offers a systematic analysis of how e-participation initiatives are actually organized and administered within the government, as well as how the political context and collaborative partnerships both within the government and with non-governmental actors affect the adoption and institutionalization of e-participation platforms. Contributors provide new empirical evidence on some of the most pressing questions related to the organization and management of e-participation, aiming to provide better understanding of citizen participation platforms. Providing comparative knowledge on the institutional, administrative and organizational aspects of e-participation, this book will be an ideal read for public policy researchers and government practitioners interested in innovation and technology in public administration.

This is a very timely book! Public procurement for innovation has become a prominent tool of demand-side innovation policy in recent years. A better understanding of the underlying assumptions and intentions, as well as the opportunities of this bundle of instruments and their limitations, is highly relevant for both innovation policy analysts, students and practitioners. The book presents the latest knowledge and insights of world-leading experts in the field of public procurement for innovation.' - Stefan Kuhlmann, University of Twente, the Netherlands, President of the European Forum for Studies of Policies for Research and InnovationPublic procurement for innovation (PPI) is a demand-side innovation policy instrument. It occurs when a public organization places an order for the fulfillment of certain functions or needs, which cannot be met at that moment or within a reasonable period of time through a new or improved product. Providing evidence of the benefits to public and private actors from selective use of this policy instrument, this book illustrates the requirements and constraints for its operationalization. It significantly improves our knowledge of the key determinants of effective public procurement, aiming to promote innovative capabilities in the supplying sectors and beyond. It also provides case studies and conceptual contributions that help extend the frontier of our understanding in areas where there are still significant knowledge gaps. Scholars interested in the study of innovation policies and practitioners involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of PPI will benefit from this state-of-the-art exploration. Contributors: Y. Caloghirou, J. Edler, C. Edquist, A.T. Furtado, L. Georghiou, Y. Li, J. Nauta, P. Panaghiotopoulos, A. Protogerou, C. Garcia Ribeiro, J. Rigby, M. Rolfstam, L. Tsipouri, E. Uyarra, V. Valovirta, H. van Meerveld, N.S. Vonortas, G. Whyles, J. Yeow, J.M. Zabala-Iturriagagoitia

Innovation underpins competitiveness, is crucial to addressing societal challenges, and its support has become a major public policy goal. But what really works in innovation policy, and why? This Handbook, compiled by leading experts in the field, is the first comprehensive guide to understanding the logic and effects of innovation polices. The Handbook develops a conceptualization and typology of innovation policies, presents meta-evaluations for 16 key innovation policy instruments and analyses evidence on policy-mix. For each policy instrument, underlying rationales and examples are presented, along with a critical analysis of the available impact evidence. Providing access to primary sources of impact analysis, the book offers an insightful assessment of innovation policy practice and its evaluation. The Handbook's final chapter draws overall conclusions, reflects on the merits and limits of evaluation and impact analysis in innovation policy and suggests tangible improvements. This Handbook is an indispensable source for researchers, analysts, students and practitioners of innovation policy at all levels, as well as all those interested in policy analysis and evaluation more generally. Contributors include: K. Blind, J. Cassingena Harper, P. Cunningham, J. Edler, K. Flanagan, A. Goek, D. Grimshaw, B. Jones, C. Koehler, P. Laredo, R. Ramlogan, C. Rammer, J. Rigby, P. Shapira, E. Uyarra, J. Youtie