Human and non-human intermediation in rural agricultural markets

ABSTRACT

A central trope of the information society is that of ‘information flows.’ The implicit assumption underlying such a vision involves the removal of gatekeepers and intermediaries who are perceived to impede such flows. Drawing from field research on information circulation, trade, and money in rural markets in Myanmar and India, we show why intermediaries persist alongside information and communication technologies (ICTs) in trade and financial transactions in the ‘Information Age.’ We examine the range of roles, (human and non-human) actors, and material practices that are involved in conducting financial transactions, and we show the importance of historical legacies and politics in explaining why both cash and financial intermediaries persist in the digital age. Focusing on the different value that human and non-human intermediaries bring to financial encounters helps explain what characteristics make each resilient or replaceable in a time of change. By situating intermediaries and mediations in the social relations within which they operate, we bring back the role of power and politics – an element that is often missing in accounts focused on the unmediated and ‘free’ circulation of information using ICTs – in explaining processes of mediation and circulation.     

论西方合作主义的理论特征

合作主义是工业社会诞生以来西方思想界长期存在的一种思潮.这一思潮在各个不同的历史时期有不同的表现形态,但却存在一些共同的理论特征.合作主义均以社会和谐为理论预设、追求目标和基本价值,以经济利益的调和为基本手段.由此,产生了合作组织的制度安排、中介调节的政治过程,而最终目标则在维护资本主义.     

A case analysis of semantic technologies for R&D intermediation information management

It is evident that companies and research centres can find a myriad of instruments to fund their R&D (Research & Development) activities. Due to the dynamics of the information management in these circumstances there is a need for intermediary businesses intervention. Consequently, intermediary companies are thus involved in a complex process that needs to be managed and controlled. Within this scenario an Information Technology (IT) platform, named RDi-Advise, was developed by EgeoIT using semantic technologies to support R&D process decisions. This case analysis describes the development and implementation of the platform including the lessons learned during the activity period.     

论合作主义视角下政策咨询机制构建与完善

合作主义多用于社会学、政治学研究宏观层面的国家与社会间关系。本文以日本审议会机制为基础,从微观制度层面分析了合作主义框架下的利益协调机制的运用。并在此基础上,针对我国社会利益日益分化的背景,对我国建立与完善政策咨询体系提出了:重构政策咨询体系,引入利益协调职能;加强利益协调机制的制度化建设;推动社会团体的利益集团化;监管利益协调活动的公正性等建议。