Distributional Assessment of Emerging Technologies: Case Studies in the Americas

新兴技术的分布评估：美洲案例研究

• 批准号: 0726919
• 负责人: Susan Cozzens
• 金额: $ 39.05万
• 依托单位: Georgia Tech Research Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-10-01 至 2012-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0726919&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Distributional; Assessment; Emerging; Technologies; Case; Distributional; Assessment; Emerging; Technologies; Case

Despite decades of strong economic growth, the problem of global inequality is still large. Within-country inequality is clearly on the rise, and most poor nations are not closing the global gap in standard of living. Emerging technologies are a strategic research site for examining the interaction of inequalities between countries and inequalities within countries. Conceptually, emerging technologies are defined in this project as new and research-based, with potential broad impact. Operationally, the project studies the actual distributional consequences of selected biotechnologies and information and communication technologies (ICTs). These examples are then used to develop a framework for thinking about the distributional consequences of other emerging technologies. The framework is tested in the latter stages of the project against what is known and projected about the distributional consequences of nanotechnologies. Why study emerging technologies in this project? First, precisely because they are new. Emerging technologies are the site of change and growth in both global and local economies. Second, because emerging technologies are research-based, they are more likely to be sold at high prices (as firms try to recoup research and development costs) and to demand high levels of skills in the production process. Both these characteristics give emerging technologies a higher potential than older technologies for increasing inequalities in access and employment. Third, emerging technologies stand at the intersection of global and national distributive processes. They may insert the economic needs of affluent countries into less affluent economies, or they may serve as tools of economic and human development. This study provides an opportunity to examine both of these patterns in action. It assumes that reality is more complex than either the 'dominating North' or 'optimistic South' views, so it describes the actual distributional dynamics generated by emerging technologies in various national contexts. This project collects data for and synthesizes results of an interlocking set of case studies, each of which consists of a country-technology pair. The research aims to (1) describe the dynamics that link emerging technologies to patterns of inequality; (2) identify the roles of public interventions in those dynamics; and (3) develop a framework that policy actors can use prospectively to analyze the distributional valence of a specific new technology in a particular national context. The European and African portions of the work have already been funded by the European Commission. Intellectual merit. The project examines a topic that is important both within science and technology policy studies and the broader social science analysis of the dynamics of global inequality. It does this on a sound empirical basis within a rich comparative framework that allows analysis by countries within technologies and by technologies within countries. The study incorporates both qualitative and quantitative information and is likely to contribute to the development of impact indicators as well as innovation policy practice. Broader impacts. The study takes place in a doctoral training program and supports one doctoral student and two postdoctoral scholars. The team is diverse, and we have Latin American and African collaborators as well as European ones. In addition to broad dissemination to scholars in the field, the plan includes engagement with policy audiences. Through these audiences, the results of the research could influence efforts to reduce poverty and inequalities in many national contexts.

尽管经济增长了数十年，但全球不平等问题仍然很大。国内不平等显然正在上升，大多数贫困国家没有缩小生活水平的全球差距。新兴技术是一个战略研究网站，用于研究国家之间不平等与国家内部不平等的相互作用。从概念上讲，在该项目中将新兴技术定义为基于新的研究，并具有广泛的影响。在操作上，该项目研究了选定的生物技术和信息和通信技术（ICT）的实际分配后果。然后，这些示例用于开发一个框架来思考其他新兴技术的分布后果。该框架在项目的后期进行了测试，该框架与纳米技术的分布后果的已知和预测。为什么在这个项目中研究新兴技术？首先，正是因为它们是新的。新兴技术是全球和地方经济体变化和增长的地点。其次，由于新兴技术是基于研究的，因此它们更有可能以高价出售（因为公司试图收回研发成本），并要求生产过程中的高水平技能。这两种特征都使新兴技术比较旧的技术具有更高的潜力，以增加访问和就业的不平等现象。第三，新兴技术站在全球和国家分销过程的交集。他们可能会将富裕国家的经济需求插入较少的富裕经济体中，或者可以用作经济和人类发展的工具。这项研究提供了检查这两种行动中的两种模式的机会。它假设现实比“北方主导”或“乐观的南方”观点更复杂，因此它描述了在各种国家背景下新兴技术产生的实际分布动态。该项目收集数据并综合了一组案例研究的结果，每个案例研究由一个国家技术对组成。该研究的目的是（1）描述将新兴技术与不平等模式联系起来的动态； （2）确定公众干预在这些动态中的作用； （3）制定一个框架，政策参与者可以前瞻性地使用特定国家环境中特定新技术的分配价。欧洲和非洲部分工作已经由欧洲委员会资助。智力优点。该项目研究了一个在科学和技术政策研究中至关重要的主题，以及对全球不平等动态的更广泛的社会科学分析。它在丰富的比较框架内以合理的经验基础来做到这一点，该框架允许国家内部的国家和国家内的技术分析。该研究既包含定性和定量信息，又可能有助于影响指标的发展以及创新政策实践。更广泛的影响。这项研究是在博士培训计划中进行的，并支持一名博士生和两名博士后学者。该团队多样化，我们有拉丁美洲和非洲合作者以及欧洲的合作者。除了向该领域的学者进行广泛的传播外，该计划还包括与政策受众的参与。通过这些受众，研究结果可能会影响许多国家背景下减少贫困和不平等的努力。