Making sense of the confusing mix of digitalization,pandemics and economics

In this short essay, we engage in a sensemaking exercise to understand the economic forces at play during the pandemic. Our primary emphasis is on the implications for digitalization as countries and states try to balance economic and health interests.     

Public history,personal pseudohistory,and VirtHSTM

In summer 2021, the Virtual History of Science, Technology, and Medicine group hosted two online panels on pseudoscience topics including Flat Earth, Hollow Earth, geohistory, alternate evolution, and forgeries. The panels discussed the roles of such theories in the history of science, as well as the public’s understanding of both history and science.     

Institutional shaping of research priorities: A case study on avian influenza

Since outbreaks in 2003, avian influenza has received a considerable amount of funding and become a controversial science policy issue in various respects. Like in many other global and multidisciplinary societal problems fraught with high levels of uncertainty, a variety of perspectives have emerged over how to “tackle” avian influenza and public voices have expressed concern over how research funds are being allocated. In this article, we document if and how research agendas are being informed by public policy debates. We use qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine the relations between expectations of outcomes of public science and the existing research landscape. Interviews with a cross-section of stakeholders reveal a wide range of perspectives and values associated with the nature and objectives of existing research avenues. We find that the landscape of public avian influenza research is not directly driven by expectations of societal outcomes. Instead, it is shaped by three institutional drivers: pharmaceutical industry priorities, publishing and public research funding pressures, and the mandates of science-based policy or public health organizations. These insights suggest that, in research prioritization, funding agencies should embrace a broad perspective of research governance that explicitly considers underlying institutional drivers. Deliberative approaches in public priority setting might help to make agendas more plural and diverse and thus more responsive to the contested and uncertain nature of avian influenza research.     

Systemic technology innovation management and analysis of other forms of IP protection

Industry 4.0 and the pandemic have caused recent changes in innovative development, economic situations, and restrictions in various companies and regions of the world, with new stricter legislation related to working conditions, hygiene standards, and health requirements. New technologies are a challenge to the transformation of problem companies and regions, as they often significantly impact economic development. Technological emissions, growing information on dementia among young people, cyber risks, and the risks of so-called advanced technologies (e.g., bio- and nanotechnologies, Industry 4.0 tech) may raise societal concerns about technological progress. This study is part of our long-term research into technological innovation in different companies and regions. Its primary goal is to methodically emphasize the importance and role of the systemic management of technological innovation in companies and regions and analytically compare the innovation success of differently developed regions from a global perspective¹. This research deals with an important aspect of technology management, namely, the processes of technological identification and the protection of related intellectual property (IP). The primary research question is: How has technological development been distributed across different regions over the last two decades? We hypothesize that Asian countries are increasingly moving away from Europe and North America in terms of technological innovation, other forms of technological IP protection, and overall access to innovation, while the focus is on the development of three non-patent forms of technological innovation protection: industrial designs, trademarks, and utility models. The results of our study reveal a significant difference in the approach to technological innovation management and the form of IP protection between so-called advanced and problem companies and regions. This study was conducted between 2018 and 2022.     

The global physical inactivity pandemic: an analysis of knowledge production

In July 2012, The Lancet announced a pandemic of physical inactivity and a global call to action to effect change. The worldwide pandemic is said to be claiming millions of lives every year. Asserting that physical inactivity is pandemic is an important moment. Given the purported scale and significance of physical inactivity around the world, this research examines how the pandemic is rhetorically constructed and how various solutions are proposed. We apply a governmentality perspective to examine the continuity, coherence and appropriateness of ideas about physical activity. The analysis demonstrates that within The Lancet, there is disunity about what is known about physical activity, problematic claims of ‘abnormality’ and contradictions in the proposed deployment of a systems approach to solve the problem. The article concludes by suggesting that as knowledge produced about physical activity grows, scholars need to beware of nostalgic conceptions of physical activity, account for the immense diversity of lived experiences which do not abide by idealistic recommendations and consider more rigorously contentious claims about physical activity programme effects.     

Ethical considerations in deciding when to reopen schools

In the midst of a global pandemic, policy makers in the education sector face a complex dilemma regarding the reopening of schools, closed around the world as an initial public health measure. The authors propose the use of an ethical strategy—the Eight Key Questions—to clarify the issues involved in decision-making. While every context is unique, the adoption of this investigative process and ethical litmus test may help clarify the trade-offs in health, education, protection, social services, economic productivity and the best interests of the child.     

1918—1919年大流感传播的原因及其影响

1918—1919年大流感是一场世界性的灾难,它之所以迅速传播到世界各地,与第一次世界大战有密切关系。战时的人员集中和流动加速了疾病传播;战争造成的恶劣生活条件削弱了人们对疾病的抵抗力;战争环境下国家卫生防疫政策受到了极大干扰。这场流感造成了大量人口死亡,同时也加速了第一次世界大战的结束。     

Information management research and practice in the post-COVID-19 world

COVID-19 has radically transformed many aspects of human life and global society both now and for many years to come. A key aspect of the transformation has been increased digitalization and the accelerated implementation of previously predicted trends that have been discussed for many years in the information management literature. Human endeavour has encouraged us to adapt to the “new normal” through immediate necessity in areas such as work, education, healthcare, entertainment and leisure, and online commerce. This new environment has provided unprecedented opportunities for the information management research community to develop research that will have a significant impact on practice in these and other areas. We are essentially at the pinnacle of new developments in the digital space and must seek to develop exemplars that can help to signpost the future direction of digital global society for the benefit of all. Notwithstanding, the problems of digitalization have also been exacerbated and must be further understood and ameliorated in the post-COVID world. This paper examines opportunities and problems in information management brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It details implications for research and practice.     

Normalising the “new normal”: Changing tech-driven work practices under pandemic time pressure

The COVID-19 pandemic has had massive implications for the nature of work and the role technology plays in the workplace. Organisations have been forced into rapid ‘big bang’ introduction of technology and ‘tech-driven’ practices in an unprecedented and time pressured manner. In many cases there has been little training or reflection on how the practices and associated technology should be introduced and integrated or adapted to suit the new workplace context. We argue that there is a need for a more reflective ‘normalisation’ of work practices and the role technology plays. The paper draws on normalisation process theory (NPT) and its underlying components of cohesion, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring. As an exemplar, we focus on the changing nature of work and adoption of remote working practices. The paper uses NPT to examine current thinking and approaches and offering some guidelines to inform research and practice.