Society

Civil society (27)
Knowledge society (70)
Society (627)

Synopsis: Society:

research groups, technological field, and society. The second contribution by Fleischer et al. argues that TA of emerging

And it is enhanced by coherent actions of a range of key decisionmakker in research policy, economy and society.

but in particular also decisionmakker from research, industry, policy-making and society, a shared understanding of current problems, goals and development options is expected to emerge among those actors that have an important role to play in shaping the future.

Bridges Between Science, Society and Policy Technology assessment Methods and Impacts, Springer, Berlin, 2004.9 S. Joss, S. Belluci (Eds.

foresight in the risk society, Technovation 19 (6 7)( 1999) 413 421.2 T. Jewell, International foresight's contribution to globalisation, Foresight The Journal of Futures studies, Strategic thinking and Policy

the accelerating changes that individuals as well as societies must adapt to socially and psychologically make Fig. 1. Regulatory foresight vs. regulatory impact assessment. 498 K. Blind/Technological forecasting

Path Dependence and Creation, Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, Mahwah, 2001, pp. 1 38.40 A. Giddens, The constitution of society:

Managing Technology in Society. The Approach of Constructive technology assessment, Pinter Publishers, London, 1995. Douglas K. R. Robinson obtained his undergraduate and master's degree in Physics and Space S&t at the University of Leicester (UK) and Universität Siegen (Germany.

He worked in South africa on the dynamics of social development projects and science-and-technology-in-society issues and at Twente University,

or escape from the negative consequences of a‘risk society'.'The diversity of the above areas suggests that foresight process impacts should be interpreted through the lenses of epistemology, sociology, political science, management science and organisational theory.

In parallel, given that developments in the above spheres are associated strongly with the evolution of‘participatory knowledge societies',this paper presents an interpretation of foresight process impacts within a conceptual framework that attempts to characterise such societies.

which they promote the development of'participatory knowledge societies'.'The paper is based primarily on research carried out during the preparation of a Phd thesis entitled Assessing the contribution of Foresight to a more participatory knowledge society.

The research mainly involved a literature review of available documentation on past and present foresight programmes and their results. 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Knowledge society; Foresight impacts; Impacts assessment; Logic model; Networking; Actors'alignment 1. Introduction The present article presents results to date2 from research leading towards the production of a Phd thesis entitled Assessing the contribution of Foresight to a more participatory knowledge society.

This topic is of specific interest due to the fact that no common evaluation and assessment approach for foresight exercises has been developed to date.

These two‘pillars',the‘knowledge society'and‘participatory governance',can become the common framework in which to assess

which foresight exercises are implemented and the identification of many of the characteristics of emerging knowledge societies which foresight can affect in both anticipated and unanticipated ways.

As a starting point, a conceptual framework is presented which outlines the major characteristics of emerging knowledge societies. This is based on a review of the available literature.

K. Guy/Technological forecasting & Social Change 75 (2008) 539 557 knowledge societies are to flourish. Given this, there is need to develop a model capable of describing

such as the evolution of knowledge societies and participatory governance systems, and the lower level sets of goals that have to be attained

and goal attainment levels. 2. A conceptual framework to characterise emerging knowledge societies The findings of the literature review on the major characteristics of the emerging knowledge societies suggest that the characteristics

and factors affecting the development of these societies are intertwined with those influencing the development of participatory governance systems:

what is promoted by a‘knowledge society'is required to enhance participatory governance and vice versa, while foresight impacts seem to relate to both sets of developments.

and factors increasing the role of knowledge in society; a group of factors leading to innovation-based growth;

or cope with the negative consequences of a‘risk society'.'4 Notwithstanding the importance of knowledge in previous types of societies, several authors acknowledge a shift in the economic structure of modern societies away from a‘material'input driven economy towards a knowledge-based

input economy. They associate the increasing role of knowledge in the emerging knowledge societies with the increased density

and complexity of the ways information and knowledge is mediated, especially through developments in information and communication technologies, the increasing importance of knowledge-based industries and the service sector,

K. Guy/Technological forecasting & Social Change 75 (2008) 539 557 capital as key factors underpinning the more technical features of the knowledge-based economy and the realisation of a‘knowledge society'.

which collaboration and networking are facilitated within a society, within and between different groups of actors.

On the other hand, knowledge seems to have a dual, paradoxical role in modern societies, in that while increasing reliance is placed upon it,

which modern societies have to deal with uncertainty and complexity marks a novel feature of today's situation.

The literature suggests that the emerging knowledge societies are also‘risk societies',characterised by decision-making conducted within an environment of increasingly uncertain or incomplete knowledge.

While active participation is demanded in a‘risk society, 'at the same time it is promoted by a‘knowledge society'via support for the development of more informed publics.

However, collaboration and the alignment of actors'efforts are dependent upon levels of social trust.

Thus, some of the factors enhancing a‘knowledge society'(social capital, networking, informed publics) seem to be necessary to cope with a‘risk society'.

'The findings of the literature review on what constitutes the major characteristics of the emerging knowledge and risk societies are synthesised into a conceptual framework describing a more participatory‘knowledge society'.

'This conceptual framework is illustrated in Fig. 1. 5 The three main groups of characteristics are illustrated by the three inner circles.

6 is shown by the lines connecting the factors. 3. Contribution of foresight to the emerging knowledge societies The above conceptual framework facilitates the identification of areas where foresight impacts may contribute to the strengthening

(or weakening) of the conditions enhancing the development of a more participatory‘knowledge society'.'The identification of such areas was the subject of the second part of 5 This conceptual framework will be validated via interviews with experts in relevant fields. 6 For an analysis of the major findings of the literature review,

The available literature7 on foresight impacts notes that it is mainly the foresight process impacts that contribute to certain characteristics of the emerging‘knowledge society'.

Policy-making in the emerging knowledge societies needs to take account of uncertainty and lack of knowledge. It has to engage all interested and potentially affected stakeholders in this endeavour.

since it deals with uncertainty by requiring the development of alternative Fig. 1. Conceptual framework for the emerging‘knowledge societies':

'drivers and factors shaping modern societies. 7 See for example 2100 543 E. Amanatidou, K. Guy/Technological forecasting & Social Change 75 (2008) 539 557 versions

It also allows‘non-expert'knowledge and society's perceptions, interests, concerns and fears to be taken into account.

and alliances needed within a knowledge society by engaging actors with different backgrounds, skills and perspectives in new forms of social interaction and networking, typically working towards a common purpose.

and society both crucial developments if the emerging knowledge societies are to cope with social, environmental and intellectual complexity.

Based on the above discussion, foresight processes contribute to the emergence of‘knowledge societies'in terms of: Knowledge creation, absorption and diffusion and through these to the increasingly dominant role of knowledge;

or escape from the negative consequences of a‘risk society'.'4. From the conceptual framework to an objectives hierarchy The conceptual framework used to characterise emerging knowledge societies

and identify those elements affected by foresight exercises can be regarded as a generic objectives model for foresight exercises likely to contribute to a more participatory‘knowledge society'.

'This in turn can be used to develop an objectives hierarchy that maps the links between the elements of the conceptual framework.

to develop an impact assessment framework based on a‘logic model'approach which links the generic goal of a participatory knowledge society with the reported impacts of framework exercises.

This approach Fig. 2. Objectives hierarchy for foresight exercises contributing to a more participatory‘knowledge society'.'545 E. Amanatidou, K. Guy/Technological forecasting & Social Change 75 (2008) 539 557 has to be modified,

which these processes are embedded (including the state of development of extant‘knowledge societies').'The focus thus shifts from what happens within a foresight system (Fig. 3a) to a new focus on the way a foresight system affects,

and criteria that govern the design and implementation of foresight programmes capable of contributing to a more participatory‘knowledge society'.

then the possibility of building a common impact assessment framework for foresight exercises based on their contribution to a more participatory‘knowledge society'irrespective of their specific context

In particular, Maltese society is characterised as highly divisive and individualistic. Efforts were made to bridge numerous divides between the public private sector, between political parties, between scientific disciplines and between generations.

b) coping with greater Fig. 5. An impact assessment framework for foresight systems capable of enhancing a more participatory‘knowledge society'.

and collaborating technologies. 9. Conclusions Analysis of the major characteristics of the emerging knowledge societies suggest that the characteristics

and factors affecting the development of these societies are intertwined with those influencing the development of participatory governance systems:

K. Guy/Technological forecasting & Social Change 75 (2008) 539 557‘knowledge society'are required also to enhance participatory governance and vice versa,

The examination of foresight process impacts within a conceptual framework characterising participatory‘knowledge societies'provides indications that foresight can contribute to the emergence of such societies in terms of:

Knowledge creation, absorption and diffusion and through these to the increasingly dominant role of knowledge within modern societies;

or escape from the negative consequences of a‘risk society'.'This suggests that it is possible to assess foresight exercises in terms of their contribution to more participatory‘knowledge societies,

'which provides the higher level of reference needed to assess foresight exercises irrespective of their specific aims, scopes and levels of implementation.

if foresight exercises are to result in impacts in line with the evolution of participatory‘knowledge societies'.'It also helps in the identification of external factors affecting the success of the foresight system as a whole.

The self-enforcing circle of knowledge society characteristics, foresight impacts and participatory governance, Paper presented at the 9th ICTPI conference, Santorini, June 18 21 2006.2 K. Cuhls,

How to Follow Scientists and Engineers Through Society, Open University Press, Milton Keynes, 1987.25 B. Latour, Reassembling the Social:

The rise of a large-scale European information technology initiative, Technology in Society 17 (4)( 1995) 385 412.

Multilevel governance 1. Introduction The first universities emerged as responses to the need to harness the expanding intellectual forces of the era to the increasingly demanding knowledge requirements of the surrounding society

changing science society links and societal demands towards universities; demographic changes,‘massification'of higher education, and student‘consumerrism'technological development (offering new opportunities,

the role of university staff, students and the civil society at large, policy-makers or businesses might differ significantly in distinct‘futures'for the EU. Hence,

b) knowledge either from academic or nonacademic sources is accepted only in society if validated by conventional academic rules and players;(

and the civil society to set RTDI priorities relevant for cohesion and competitiveness; strong academia industry co-operation, mutually beneficial, intense links among large firms and SMES in a large number of regions (gradually increasing over time) Intense communication among businesses, academia,

'students, the wider research community, businesses, policy-makers and the civil society. They possess excellent‘navigation'skills to find their way in this complex world, often characterised by conflicting requirements of the various stakeholders.

with other players in (regional, national, sectoral, international) innovation systems and with the society A new balance of the main activities;

intense interactions with other players in (regional, national, sectoral, international) innovation systems and with the society Universities do not understand/take on their role in addressing societal issues New activities to promote cohesion among EU regions

'not much interactionwith other players in innovation systems and with the society Excessive emphasis on enhancing the competitiveness of EU businesses;

Contested Visions of Higher education in Society. A. Smith and F. Webster eds. Open University Press, Buckingham;

and advance technology in ways that are responsive to society's needs and concerns through the definition of problems and boundaries that must be respected.

The Dynamics of Science and Research in Contemporary Societies, SAGE, London, 1994.13 B. Harrison, Industrial districts:

at the German Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation research ISI, Germany e Technology and Society Unit of The swiss Federal Institute of Materials Science and Technology (Empa

Furthermore, as infrastructures represent the backbones of industrialized societies, citizens and industry are affected fundamentally by their proper functioning.

the later applications more explicitly address the co-evolution of technology and society 19. In line with this shift of attention, foresight was conceived mainly as an informing policy task until the 1970s,

Hans Kastenholz is a senior researcher at the Technology and Society unit of The swiss Federal Institute of Materials Science and Technology (Empa.

whether it fits into the company and/or the society, and whether it has impacts or side-effects.

Weak signal and Wild Card analyses for instance are used tools in risk analyses concerning the strategic design of societies or companies, e g. 43 45.

and acting towards the future success and exclusively on the current success. The process begun from very general phenomena of politics, society,

Besides natural science kinds of changes climate change poses also social changes in the society. Political decisions are affected by the climate change.

Herein the foresight methodologies considering the possible changes in the society may be helpful. A major challenge is,

which have political, ecological, social, technological and economical effects in society. 3. 4. Positioning the projects according to some important dimensions Könnölä et al.

or climate change will pose to the society. In addition, business, policy making and the whole broad spectrum of decision making call for future-oriented technology analysis as well as risk assessment.

in business and in the society in general is crucial for both FTA and risk assessment. There is, therefore, a common ground shared by both approaches.

but a socio-technical complex system also interacting with its environment and the whole society. The focus has shifted from positivist

His research is focused on technology foresight, technological transformation of societies, innovation systems and economic geography. He holds a Phd in human geography from the University of Turku, Finland.

Her special interest lies in enhancing innovations provoked by societal concerns for wellbeing of the aging society and for cleaner environment.

Besides technological development decision-makers need all-inclusive knowledge of future developments of society, economy and impacts of science and technology.

The theoretical framework of the barometer is based on the evolution of economies from industrial development phase to sustainable knowledge society.

composite indicators or survey based studies providing comparisons in a wide range of fields like economy, society, education, innovation system, or sustainable development.

2. Technology barometer is based on the studies of the dynamic evolution of various development stages of a modern society after the industrialized development stage,

i e. from an information society into a knowledge society and from that towards a knowledge-value society.

For example, the Japanese futurist Yoneji Masuda and the American sociologist Daniel Bell have stated that the essential dimensions of a new society would be seen in the emerging service economy, the role of theoretical knowledge, and technology development.

and provide an overall image of how far the developed nations have come in a journey towards a knowledge-value society.

The indicators of technology barometer are structured correspondingly among different development stages of a modern society, from an information society into a knowledge society and from the knowledge society stage towards a knowledgevaalu society and towards the society fulfilling the requirements of sustainable development.

By indicating these various development stages of society, the technology barometer consists of four components, each containing three indicators (Fig. 1). In the information society,

information production, processing, dissemination and exploitation play a central role in all societal sectors. The central role of information is apparent in the economy, production, working life, education and schooling, etc.

In conjunction with the reform of the Finnish information society strategy, the knowledge society is defined as one where knowledge

The knowledge society produces commodities of high knowledge value. In technology barometer, the indicators of knowledge society assess the gearing of the human and intellectual capital investments towards science and technology

the applications of information and communications technologies, and the outcomes of these investments as R&d productivity.

The knowledge-value society refers to an advanced formthat has developed froman information society via a knowledge society,

In the knowledge-value society, innovation, technology development, economic regeneration, openness to new ideas, and their active exploitation, are all inherent elements contributing to the basic values and culture of the society.

The default is that the most successful innovators are those who can exploit various expert sources with optimum efficiency in problem-solving situations and implement their objectives in close collaboration with other businesses

The indicators on knowledge-value society focus on entrepreneurship and venturing, innovation networking, and adaptations of innovative practices in a nation.

In addition to the three development phases of a modern society, technology barometer considers sustainable development as a fourth object of analysis,

The indicators of societies fulfilling the requirements of sustainable development are social values, environmental responsibility and environmental systems.

social cohesion in the society in question, environmental protection actions taken by businesses and authorities, and the actual state of the environment.

When assessing societies by information society indicators the Nordic countries particularly Finland and Sweden excel (Fig. 2). This is partly explained by vigorous investments in the development of intellectual capital.

Judging by the indicators of the next phase, knowledge society, the Nordic countries led by Sweden, retain their strong positions albeit with smaller margins,

A look into the knowledge-value society indicators opens up a significantly different picture. Here USA

Achieving the objects of this type of society also appears to pay off in practice. Scoring well in this section correlates strongly with the country's rating in widely used indicators of material wealth,

competence and knowledge generation, knowledge society development, innovative society and sustainable development. The first part sets out the respondent groups'assessments concerning the techno-scientific competence prospects and young people's interest in a number of professions.

The third part examines innovative societies, and related indicators are the level of investment, entrepreneurial activity and the impact of technology development on the quality of life.

The first extensive societal issue relates to the role of knowledge-intensive work in Finnish society

with maximum benefits for the society. In order to reach this aim it is essential to strengthen the links between foresight activities, policy development,

This is a clear encouragement to continueworking on the metrics necessary for exemplifying the implications of innovation policy on the society.

i e. the strategic aim of barometer is to provide guidance with maximum benefits for the society,

Moreover, the process of developing Finnish national strategic centres for science, technology and innovation is underway in the technology fields with future importance for businesses and the society.

Development of comprehensive indicators is time-consuming requiring a fair amount of resources as well as a widespread contact network within the society.

Index (A t. Kearny) Globalization Index (World Markets Research centre) Society Human Development Index (UN) Corruption Perceptions Index (Transparency International) Overall Health

society 1. Introduction 2. Key results 2. 1. Barometer structure 2. 2. Key results 2. 3. Discussion 3. Indicators 3. 1

3. 2. Knowledge society development 3. 2. 1. Investment in research and product development 3. 2. 2. Information and communication technologies ICT expenditure The use of information

and communication technologies ecommerce 3. 2. 3. Application of new knowledge 3. 3. Innovative society 3. 3. 1. Understanding of knowledge

. Young people's interest in certain professions 4. 3. Knowledge society development 4. 3. 1. Opinions regarding the standard of research and technical development in Finland 4. 3. 2

. Views concerning scientific-and-technical institutions and organizations 4. 3. 3. Views regarding the roles of knowledge and technology in Finnish society

4. 4. Innovative society 4. 4. 1. Investments and entrepreneurial activeness 4. 4. 2. Potential effects of the development of technology on the quality of life 4. 5

development Knowledge society development Innovative society Sustainable development 1185 T. Loikkanen et al.//Technological forecasting & Social Change 76 (2009) 1177 1186 References 1 M. Nardo, M. Saisana, A. Saltelli, S. Tarantola, A. Hoffman, E. Giovannini, Handbook

Instrument for Measuring Citizens'Attitudes and the Nation's Orientation towards a Knowledge-based Society, The Finnish association of graduate engineers TEK, Painotalo Miktor, Helsinki, 2007.8 D. Bell, The Coming Post-Industrial Society:

A Venture in Social Forecasting, Basic books, New york, 1976.9 Y. Masuda, The Information society as the Post-Industrial Society, Institute for the Information society, Tokyo, 1980.10 T. Sakaiya, The Knowledge Value

Revolution or a History of the Future, 1991 New york, XXXX. 11 M. Castells, The Rise of Network Society, The Information age:

Economy, Society and Culture, vol. I, Blackwell, Cambridge, MA, 1996.12 M. Castells, The Power and Identity, The Information age:

Economy, Society and Culture, vol. II, Blackwell, Cambridge, MA, 1997.13 M. Castells, The End of the Millennium, The Information age:

Economy, Society and Culture, vol. III, Blackwell, Cambridge, MA, 1998. Torsti Loikkanen is a Senior Research scientist

technological transformation of societies, innovation systems and economic geography. He holds a Phd in human geography from the University of Turku, Finland.

new drivers like lifestyles or developments in society change the time and space patterns of living and working.

facilitating the participation of civil society in the policy-making process, thereby improving its transparency and legitimacy. Supporting policy definition:

Expert means a person knowledgeable about the topic, it can be someone from industry, policy-making itself, academia or the civil society in general.

The predecessor process of BMBF (Futur 13,14) tried to involve more persons from civil society, but in the later phases the need also to involve experts in the focus groups was felt,

Previous processes often tackled topics that were too broad for the ministry to handle (e g. the society in general.

as they are part of the Fraunhofer Society whose institutes have strong stakes in the research landscape) but in close cooperation with BMBF.

Exploring the relationship between scenario planning and perceptions of learning organization characteristics, Futures 38 (7)( 2006) 767 777.21 Y. Garb, S. Pulver, S. Vandeveer, Scenarios in society

, society in scenarios: towards a social scientific analysis of storyline-driven environmental modeling, Environ. Res.

In this paper practical ways to reduce the deficit are proposed that ought to increase the responsiveness of Foresight programmes to society's values, concerns and expectations.

but wide spread of stakeholders who will help to shape the future of society through the practical scheme proposed.

of important influences that may shape the future of research and indirectly society. It is far from clear that the sponsors of Foresight studies,

For inclusivity these three questions are interrelated in social, technical, economic, ecological, political and value/norm (acronym STEEPV) aspects of society.

In an example of foresight in this connection, Loveridge 7 outlined the way that computer and communication technologies might evolve into‘information technology',with its widespread adoption throughout society,

and society 1212 D. Loveridge, O. Saritas/Technological forecasting & Social Change 76 (2009) 1208 1221 4. Participants from the fields of ethics, theology, social theory

The approach of CSH recognises that various stakeholders in society may see situations 14 in radically different ways because different stakeholder values and behavioural characteristics lead to different boundary judgements.

The future of nanotechnologies and their impacts on society require widespread participation in elucidating their acceptability in society.

Survivors the most disadvantaged people in modern society Sustainers struggle at the edge of poverty.

to society as a whole sometimes to include global issues, leading to a profound sense of responsibility; support conservation, environmentalism and the consumer movement, often becoming impassioned and knowledgeable activists about the world as they see it.

European knowledge society foresight: The EUFORIA Project synthesis report, Report to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living Conditions, Working Conditions and Industrial Relations, October, 2003.2 K. Cuhls, Government foresight activities

and technologies promise applications which may radically affect society. Nanotechnology is no exception, promising many benefits through nano-enabled applications across multiple sectors and with the potential of affecting many parts of our society.

At present, during its early stages, a wide variety of actors are anticipating both on the potential benefits and risks of the development of nanotechnologies and their embedment into markets and into society.

Thosewishing to coordinate and develop appropriate governance strategies for nanotechnologies need to consider both thewide spectrumof nanotechnology research and development lines,

and the journeys that will be taken from idea to technical application well embedded in society. In the field of nanotechnology these challenges are compounded further due to the early stage of nano developments

whether an innovation will move from a hopeful proof-of-principle to a product well embedded in our society.

But the potential breakthrough nature of nanotechnologies as enablers of radically new applications may mean a complex reconfiguration of the environments that a nanotechnology innovation may traverse during its‘lifetime'from concept to well embedded technology in our society.

and the various environments (industrial, market, society, regulation, research, etc.).5 To this end it was necessary to create a scenario method

Concerns are voiced by media, by civil society on effects on Food, Lifestyle, Health, Privacy and Human rights an outcome of the increased specificity of nano.

and civil society to discuss and mobilise opinion). One technology entrepreneur uses the Nanodiablog with a substantive motivation for engagement to improve the product.

and civil society in research agenda setting causes tensions for the R&d agents (who work in an open-ended manner,

Calls for moratoria continue from a number of civil societies and labour organisations based on some occupational health issues

as nano develops, civil society, NGOS and governments become more concerned but find no clear inroads into the governance arrangements a lock in

and this befuddles GOS, NGOS, and Civil society. Then a worker in paper factory, being treated for liver damage because of alcohol abuse,

and overcome barriers to introduce their nanotechnology into society. The IC+framework provides a gameboard to bring together linear/concentric perspectives with complexity,

Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Study of Science (4s) in Montreal, Quebec, 2007.3 A. Rip, H. te Kulve, Constructive technology assessment and sociotechnical scenarios, in:

The Yearbook of Nanotechnology in Society, Presenting Futures, vol. I, Springer, Berlin, 2008.4 F. W. Geels, Towards sociotechnical scenarios and reflexive anticipation:

Ecole des Mines, Project SOE 1981126,'Management tools and a Management framework for Assessing the Potential of Long-term S&t Options to Become Embedded in Society',TSER Programme of the European commission, January 2002.12 A. Rip, Introduction

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