Ordering theories: Typologies and conceptual frameworks for sociotechnical change

Hearts and minds: The technopolitical role of affect in sociotechnical imaginaries

Sociotechnical imaginaries (SIs) have emerged as a popular and generative concept within Science and Technology Studies (STS). This article draws out the affective component of SIs, combining a review of relevant literatures with an empirical case study of an anti-fracking imaginary in Ireland to suggest how we might theorize an affective technopolitics of SIs. The literature review identifies three key aspects of SIs that would benefit from a more coherent conceptualization of affect: the utopian, productive, and collectivizing dimensions of imaginaries. Emotions such as desire and fear appear prominently in the SI literature, but in ways that require development. Using empirical examples from my research, I outline what this developed understanding of emotions in imaginaries might look like. I examine the role that emotions played in the development and settlement of an anti-fracking imaginary in Ireland, highlighting how the intensive, multimodal, and dynamic nature of affect underpinned the productive, collective, and utopian dimensions of the SI. I conclude with some remarks about how this developed theory of emotion positions STS researchers to address issues of humanity, representation, and the building of better worlds.

Domesticating data: Traveling and value-making in the data economy

Data are versatile objects that can travel across contexts. While data's travels have been widely discussed, little attention has been paid to the sites from where and to which data flow. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork in two connected data-intensive laboratories and the concept of domestication, we explore what it takes to bring data 'home' into the laboratory. As data come and dwell in the home, they are made to follow rituals, and as a result, data are reshaped and form ties with the laboratory and its practitioners. We identify four main ways of domesticating data. First, through storytelling about the data's origins, data practitioners draw the boundaries of their laboratory. Second, through standardization, staff transform samples into digital data that can travel well while ruling what data can be let into the home. Third, through formatting, data practitioners become familiar with their data and at the same time imprint the data, thus making them belong to their home. Finally, through cultivation, staff turn data into a resource for knowledge production. Through the lens of domestication, we see the data economy as a collection of homes connected by flows, and it is because data are tamed and attached to homes that they become valuable knowledge tools. Such domestication practices also have broad implications for staff, who in the process of 'homing' data, come to belong to the laboratory. To conclude, we reflect on what these domestication processes-which silence unusual behaviours in the data-mean for the knowledge produced in data-intensive research.

Social Studies of Science and Technology: New ways to illuminate challenges in training for health information technologies utilisation

CONTEXT

Electronic health records (EHRs) have transformed clinical practice. They are not simply replacements for paper records but integrated systems with the potential to improve patient safety and quality of care. Training physicians in the use of EHR is a highly complex intervention that occurs in a dynamic socio-technical health system. Training in this complex space is considered a wicked problem and would benefit from different analytic approaches to the traditional linear causal relationship analysis. Social Sciences theories see technological change in relation to complex social and institutional processes and provide a useful starting point.

AIM

Our aim, therefore, is to introduce the medical education scholar to a selection of theoretical approaches from the Social Studies of Science and Technology (SSST) literatures, to inform educational efforts in training for EHR use.

METHODS

We suggest a body of theories and frameworks that can expand the epistemological repertoire of medical education scholarship to respond to this wicked problem. Drawing from our work on EHR implementation, we discuss current limitations in framing training for EHRs use as a research problem in medical education. We then present a selection of alternative theories.

RESULTS

Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) explains the individual adoption of new technologies in the workplace and has four key constructs: performance/effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions. Social Practice Theory (SPT), rather than focusing on individuals or institutions, starts with the activity or practice. The socio-technical model (STM) is a comprehensive theory that offers a multidimensional framework for studying the innovation and application of EHRs. Practical examples are provided.

CONCLUSIONS

We argue that education for effective utilisation of EHRs requires moving beyond the epistemological monism often present in the field. New theoretical lenses can illuminate the complexity of research to identify the best practices for educating and training physicians.

The uphill struggles of carsharing in the Netherlands

The current mobility system relies heavily on privately owned cars, which results in high levels of emissions, material use, and use of scarce public space. Carsharing is a mobility innovation offering consumers on-demand, short-term access to cars. By changing consumption patterns and reducing car ownership, carsharing has great potential to contribute to a sustainability transition of the mobility system. Even so, carsharing only satisfies a small portion of today's mobility needs and has difficulties becoming mainstream. This study investigates the upscaling trajectory of carsharing in the Netherlands. We structure the analysis along the lines of the multilevel perspective and include economic, technological, sociocultural, and policy factors that shape carsharing growth. The results demonstrate how car ownership is entrenched in the social and economic fabric, and the specific barriers this poses to carsharing. Moreover, we find some forms of carsharing risk extending private car ownership rather than challenging it. The environmental outcomes of carsharing are not predetermined but depend on the trajectories key actors take during upscaling. Our analysis highlights the importance of studying innovations in the context of the consumption-production systems in which they emerge.

The UK COVID-19 contact tracing app as both an emerging technology and public health intervention: The need to consider promissory discourses

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) COVID-19 contact tracing app was announced to the British public on 12th April 2020. The UK government endorsed the app as a public health intervention that would improve public health, protect the NHS and 'save lives'. On 5th May 2020 the technology was released for trial on the Isle of Wight. However, the trial was halted in June 2020, reportedly due to technological issues. The app was later remodelled and launched to the public in September 2020. The rapid development, trial and discontinuation of the app over a short period of a few months meant that the mobilisation and effect of the discourses associated with the app could be traced relatively easily. In this paper we aimed to explore how these discourses were constructed in the media, and their effect on actors - in particular, those who developed and those who trialled the app. Promissory discourses were prevalent, the trajectory of which aligned with theories developed in the sociology of expectations. We describe this trajectory, and then interpret its implications in terms of infectious disease public health practices and responsibilities.

Another implementation science is possible: engaging an 'intelligent public' in knowledge translation

As the world contends with the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific expertise has permeated political discourse and the phrase 'following the science' is being used to build trust and justify government decision-making. This phrase reflects a problematic assumption that there is one objective science to follow and that the use of scientific knowledge in decision-making is inherently neutral. In this article, we examine more closely the dense and intricate relationships, values, politics, and interests that determine whose knowledge counts, who gets to speak, who is spoken for, and with what consequences, in the translation of scientific knowledge. Drawing key insights from Stengers' Manifesto for Slow Science, we argue that implementation science has a central role to play in problematising the historic dominance of certain voices and institutional structures that have come to symbolise trust, rigour, and knowledge. Yet to date, implementation science has tended to overlook these economic, social, historical, and political forces. Fraser's conception of social justice and Jasanoff's 'technologies of humility' are introduced as useful frameworks to extend the capacity of implementation science to engage the broader public as an 'intelligent public' in the translation of knowledge, during and beyond the pandemic.

Anticipation and modal power: Opening up and closing down the momentum of sociotechnical systems

Within STS, there are three approaches to the creation and mobilization of futures: descriptive, normative, and interventive. Visions, expectations, and imaginaries are currently seen as anticipatory artifacts that close down the momentum of sociotechnical systems and, as such, are objects of critical scrutiny. At the same time, interventive techniques engaging with future representations are considered to be useful anticipatory instruments for opening up ranges of envisaged alternatives. This article reviews STS advances concerning the performativity of both de facto and interventive anticipatory practices in shaping the momentum of sociotechnical systems in light of the phenomenon of modal power: the modulation dynamics of what actors deem to be (im)plausible and/or (un)desirable. The diverse attempts of STS scholars and practitioners to understand, critique, and engage with the politics of opening up and closing down the momentum of sociotechnical systems require engaging with the creation, mobilization, and execution of modal power. The heuristics presented here are intended to be useful in framing and recognizing the political-epistemic radicality that the creation and mobilization of sociotechnical futures holds in the constitution of our sociotechnical orders as well as the role that the attribution of (im)plausibility or (un)desirability plays in such processes.

Changing publication practices and the typification of the journal article in science and technology studies

In this article, we study the development of the STS journal article format since the 1980s. Our analysis is based on quantitative data that suggest that the diversity of various journal publication types has diminished over the past four decades, while the format of research articles has become increasingly typified. We contextualize these historical shifts in qualitative terms, drawing on a set of 76 interviews with STS scholars and other stakeholders in scholarly publishing. Here, we first portray the STS publication culture of the 1980s and early 1990s. We then contrast this with an analysis of publishing practices today, which are characterized by a much more structured research process that is largely organized around the production of typified journal articles. Whereas earlier studies have often emphasized the importance of rhetorical persuasion strategies as drivers in the development of scholarly communication formats, our analysis highlights a complementary and historically novel set of shaping factors, namely, increasingly quantified research (self-)assessment practices in the context of a projectification of academic life. We argue that reliance on a highly structured publication format is a distinct strategy for making STS scholarship 'doable' in the sense of facilitating the planning ability and daily conduct of research across a variety of levels - including the writing process, collaboration with peers, attracting funding, and interaction with journals. We conclude by reflecting on the advantages and downsides of the typification of journal articles for STS.

Unpacking the Psychosocial Dimension of Decarbonization between Change and Stability: A Systematic Review in the Social Science Literature

This paper provides a systematic overview of the psychosocial contribution to decarbonization studies and critically discusses current trends. Following the PRISMA protocol, we reviewed 404 articles informing how socio-psychological processes affect decarbonization, and vice versa, and highlighting research gaps and biases. Contrary to criticisms about methodological individualism and reductionism of socio-psychological research on sustainability, the review illustrates that the field is equally attentive to psychosocial processes operating at different levels, including the individual (e.g., attitudes, stress, environmental concerns), community (e.g., collective identity, justice, sense of place), and socio-cultural levels (e.g., social norms, values, memory). However, evidence shows some problematic trends in the literature: (i) A bias toward specific agents and geographies, which overlooks mesoscale actors (e.g., media, unions, NGOs) and developing and eastern countries; (ii) instrumental and normative views of transitions, which coincide with a prevailing focus on cognitive processes and a selective bias toward technologies, policies, places, and natural resources conceived as instrumental to decarbonization. This also emphasizes how biophysical processes, people–nature relationships, and the role of emotions in understanding the psychology of agents and decarbonization processes are almost absent; (iii) a research gaze normatively oriented toward the future, which risks neglecting continuity–discontinuity dynamics and the timing and pace of transitions.

The Problem of Observing Sociotechnical Entities in Social Science and Humanities Energy Transition Research

The notion of "sociotechnical" is an important concept for interdisciplinary research on the transformation of the energy supply. Different branches of research agree that the provision, transmission, and distribution of energy are not simply a matter of physics. The transformation of the energy infrastructure is significantly a societal project, carried by technical innovation and social change. However, in social science and humanities research the interrelation between technical and social processes is often not explicitly explored, even though the interrelationship is the decisive descriptor that distinguishes sociotechnical entities from their environment. This article examines the merits of enriching the concept of sociotechnical by adding the distinction between tight and loose couplings in technical operations and human activities. While tight couplings are necessary to sustain control, they hamper change, and while loose couplings are necessary to adapt and to uphold choice, they increase complexity. Additionally, the article concludes that the introduction of "smart" technologies-an essential vision of the energy transformation-changes the composition of tight and loose couplings. Technical ideas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence go beyond mere automation. We might as well face a new sociotechnical reality. The introduction of intelligence in systems makes more loose couplings necessary. Paradoxically, this allows for new functionality and services by establishing complex operations while at the same time diminishing control by social systems.

Technoeconomic Analysis of Negative Emissions Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage through Pyrolysis and Bioenergy District Heating Infrastructure

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) has been identified as a cost-effective negative emission technology that will be necessary to limit global warming to 1.5 °C targets. However, the study of BECCS deployment has mainly focused on large-scale, centralized facilities and geologic sequestration. In this study, we perform technoeconomic analysis of BECCS through pyrolysis technology within a district heating system using locally grown switchgrass. The analysis is based on a unique case study of an existing switchgrass-fueled district heating system in the rural southeastern United States and combines empirical daily energy data with a retrospective analysis of add-on pyrolysis technology with biochar storage. We show that at current heating oil and switchgrass prices, pyrolysis-bioenergy (PyBE) and pyrolysis BECCS (PyBECCS) can each reach economic parity with a fossil fuel-based system when the prices of carbon is $116/Mg CO₂-eq and $51/Mg CO₂-eq, respectively. In addition, each can reach parity with a direct combustion bioenergy (BE) system when the prices of carbon is $264/Mg CO₂-eq and $212/Mg CO₂-eq, respectively. However, PyBECCS cannot reach economic parity with BE without revenue from carbon sequestration, while PyBE can, and in some cases, PyBECCS could counterintuitively require more reliance on fossil fuels than both the PyBE case and BE.

Mapping emergent public engagement in societal transitions: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Transition discourses are gaining prominence in efforts to imagine a future that adequately addresses the urgent need to establish low carbon and climate resilient pathways. Within these discourses the 'public' is seen as central to the creation and implementation of appropriate interventions. The role of public engagement in societal transformation while essential, is also complex and often poorly understood. The purpose of this paper is to enhance our understanding regarding public engagement and to address the often superficial and shallow policy discourse on this topic.

MAIN TEXT

The paper offers a review of evolving literature to map emergent public engagement in processes of transition and change. We adopt a pragmatic approach towards literature retrieval and analysis which enables a cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral review. We use a scoping review process and the three spheres of transformation framework (designated as the practical, political and personal spheres) to explore trends within this complex research field. The review draws from literature from the last two decades in the Irish context and looks at emergence and evolving spaces of public engagement within various systems of change including energy, food, coastal management and flood adaptation, among others.

CONCLUSIONS

The results highlight the siloed and fragmented way in which public engagement in transitions is carried and we propose a more cross-sectoral and cross-disciplinary approach which depends on bringing into dialogue often contrasting theories and perspectives. The paper also illustrates some shifting engagement approaches. For instance, nexus articles between the practical and political spheres suggest deeper forms of public engagement beyond aggregated consumer behaviour to align technological delivery with institutional and societal contexts. While most articles in the practical sphere draw largely on techno-economic insights this influence and cross-disciplinarity is likely to draw in further innovations. Nexus articles between the political and personal sphere are also drawing on shifting ideas of public engagement and largely stress the need to disrupt reductive notions of engagement and agency within our institutions. Many of these articles call attention to problems with top-down public engagement structures and in various ways show how they often undermine and marginalise different groups.

The attachments of 'autonomous' vehicles

The ideal of the self-driving car replaces an error-prone human with an infallible, artificially intelligent driver. This narrative of autonomy promises liberation from the downsides of automobility, even if that means taking control away from autonomous, free-moving individuals. We look behind this narrative to understand the attachments that so-called 'autonomous' vehicles (AVs) are likely to have to the world. Drawing on 50 interviews with AV developers, researchers and other stakeholders, we explore the social and technological attachments that stakeholders see inside the vehicle, on the road and with the wider world. These range from software and hardware to the behaviours of other road users and the material, social and economic infrastructure that supports driving and self-driving. We describe how innovators understand, engage with or seek to escape from these attachments in three categories: 'brute force', which sees attachments as problems to be solved with more data, 'solve the world one place at a time', which sees attachments as limits on the technology's reach and 'reduce the complexity of the space', which sees attachments as solutions to the problems encountered by technology developers. Understanding attachments provides a powerful way to anticipate various possible constitutions for the technology.

Between stability and change: Tensions in the Norwegian electric mobility transition

Norway, where a majority of new cars sold are currently electric, has emerged as a rich location for studying transitions towards electric mobility. Such transitions have often been conceptualized through a Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), which generally designates the technology as a disruptive niche with potential to upend the obdurate and problematic automobilty regime. Drawing upon Actor-Network Theory (ANT), this article re-examines this designation and provides nuance to theories of sustainable transition. This change in perspective enable us to re-centre user practices and investigate how electric vehicle drivers operate within complex human/non-human networks. Rather than viewing stability and change as the result of interactions between pre-determined levels, ANT allows us to explore how stability and change is co-produced in a multitude of locations. Drawing upon qualitative interview data, the article finds that new configurations of users and technology are currently emerging, elucidating dynamics of sociotechnical change, while cultural and geographical barriers to more radical mobility shifts are equally pronounced. As such, electric mobility currently finds itself between reinforcing the automobility system, while also engendering exciting new associations between drivers, cars and the world outside the windshield.

Will interfaces take over the physical workplace in higher education? A pessimistic view of the future

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue for the sustained need for the physical workplace and real-life encounters in higher education even in the digital age despite being seemingly transformable into the virtual sphere as seen during the COVID-19 situation.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on a collaborative autoethnography by a group of seven higher educators with an overall 2,134 student encounters during the study’s time span. The authors then connect these practitioner observations with relevant COVID-19-related studies thereby adding to research on higher education as a workplace.

Findings

The data suggest that the physical workplace strongly bolsters the personal experience and effectiveness of higher education through contributing to its dynamics. Spaces predetermine the scope and levels of human interaction of teaching and learning. In a physical setting, all senses serve as mediators, whereas, online, only two senses are involved: vision and hearing. The two-dimensional screen becomes a mediator of communications. In the physical space, actors are free to adjust the working space, whereas the online working space is limited and defined by platforms.

Practical implications

Although higher education institutions may indeed fully substitute most practices formerly in a physical setting with online solutions, real-time encounters in the physical working space belong to its deeper raisons d'être.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the necessity of the physical workplace in higher education and describes the depriving potential of the exclusively online higher education teaching setting.

Theories Informing eHealth Implementation: Systematic Review and Typology Classification

Background

Theory-guided approaches to implementation science have informed translation efforts and the acceptance of eHealth (digital health) interventions in clinical care. However, there is scarce evidence on which theories are best suited to addressing the inherent complexity of eHealth implementation.

Objective

The objectives of this systematic review are to identify theories that inform and explain eHealth implementation and to classify these theories using the typology by Sovacool and Hess for theories of sociotechnical change.

Methods

An electronic search was conducted in the PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Sociological Source Ultimate, Web of Science, ABI/INFORM, EBSCO, and ProQuest databases in June 2019. Studies were included if they were published between 2009 and June 2019; were written in English; reported on empirical research, regardless of study or publication type; reported on one or more theories in the context of eHealth implementation; and were published in a peer-reviewed journal. A total of 2 reviewers independently assessed the titles, abstracts, and full texts. Theories identified were classified using a typology for theories of sociotechnical change, which was considered a useful tool for ordering and analyzing the diverse theoretical approaches as a basis for future theory building.

Results

Of the 13,101 potentially relevant titles, 119 studies were included. The review identified 36 theories used to explain implementation approaches in eHealth. The most commonly used approaches were the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (n=33) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (n=32). These theories were primarily concerned with individual and interpersonal elements of eHealth acceptance. Less common were theories that reflect the various disorderly social processes and structural dimensions of implementation, such as the normalization process theory (n=17) and the structuration theory (n=6).

Conclusions

Theories currently informing the implementation of eHealth interventions predominantly focus on predicting or explaining end-user acceptance. Theoretical perspectives that capture the dense and intricate relationships and structures required to enact sustainable change are less well represented in the eHealth literature. Given the growing acknowledgment of the inherent complexity of eHealth implementation, future research should develop and test models that recognize and reflect the multidimensional, dynamic, and relational nature of this process.

Rooftop PV and the Renewable Energy Transition; a Review of Driving Forces and Analytical Frameworks

Rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) are accelerating the transition towards low carbon electricity systems in many countries, particularly in Australia. This review paper provides an overview of the (1) technical, (2) economic, (3) socio-political, and (4) regulatory and institutional aspects that should be considered concurrently when navigating the transition towards a rooftop PV-dominated electricity system. We consider the suitability of two prominent long-range transitions theories for understanding the importance and interaction of elements within these four aspects during the transition. The multi-level perspective (MLP) of transitions theory is considered best suited for this task as it addresses fundamental shifts in the socio-technical systems, rather than being weighted towards technological and/or economic solutions. We find that relatively little research has been undertaken where the renewable energy transition is being driven by the uptake of rooftop PV within the distribution network of established islanded electricity systems. These islanded electricity systems will be the first to experience system impacts from high levels of rooftop PV. This review provides further analysis of important gaps in understanding the rooftop-PV-led energy transition and the implications for policy makers in maintaining stable electricity supplies during the transition.

TIME to Change: An Evaluation of Practical Action Nepal’s Results Based Finance Program

Set against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7, and the need to increase biomass Improved Cookstove (ICS) adoption and sustained use across the globe, this paper presents an evaluation of Practical Action Nepal’s (PAN) Results Based Financing for Improved Cookstove Market Development in Nepal (RBF) project, which was conducted between January and April 2020. Nepal has a long history of International Development assistance, yet 65.8% of rural households still use firewood as their primary source of energy. With this in mind we aimed to understand the barriers, enablers and engagement strategies for the adoption and sustained use of Improved Cookstoves (ICS), map key stakeholder role perceptions and interactions, and identify areas for improvement to increase the sustained use of ICS in the focus communities. This paper uses the methodological approach from the qualitative Technology Implementation Model for Energy (TIME) for the data collection and analysis elements. Our core results show a direct need for improved communication between all key stakeholder groups, the impact of demand and supply side financial incentives in creating reputational risk for community-based key stakeholders, and how the RBF mechanism promotes initial end-user adoption but not sustained use of ICS due to a focus on immediate results.

Transition Pathways of Agroecological Innovation in Portugal’s Douro Wine Region. A Multi-Level Perspective

The Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) is an analytical framework developed to explain transitions towards sustainability. This article aims to contribute to enhancing the use of the MLP to understand the transitions towards sustainability in agriculture. We propose that MLP is an insightful framework to capture particular micro-level trajectories of adopting innovations. The Douro wine region in Northern Portugal, known worldwide for the wines that are produced there, was the study area of our empirical research. This region has become the stage for developing a complex agroecological innovation, the Ecological Infrastructures (EIs). These consist of a combination of techniques that aim to expand the ecosystem services of the vineyards. The uniqueness of its development at the farm level originates a multiplicity of innovation trajectories, which are the focus of this study. Content analysis of 20 interviews with winegrowers was performed, and the results were analysed through the MLP framework. This allowed us to conclude that a process of transition towards the sustainability of region-level winegrowing is underway, and that it can be explained by the overlapping of different paths of adopting innovation. Our research shows that in-depth analysis of qualitative data, done through content analysis, can be used to amplify the insightfulness of MLP by enabling it to uncover the microscale transition pathways that shape uneven region-level transitions.

Recognition, collaboration and community: science fiction representations of robot carers in Robot & Frank, Big Hero 6 and Humans

In the 2010s, a small number of science fiction films and television series exploring the theme of the robot carer and how humans respond to them were released. This paper explores three works in this regard: the films Robot & Frank (dir. Jake Schreier, USA 2012), Big Hero 6 (dir. Don Hall/Chris Williams, USA 2014) and the television series Humans (UK/USA, Channel 4/AMC, 2015-2018). Examining these works with some of the ethical issues currently being discussed in the use of robot technology in care work, this paper demonstrates how they align themselves with, but also challenge some of these ideas, and ultimately direct viewers to consider their own expectations of personalised healthcare. The essay begins by examining the fears of the care industry deploying robots to replace the work of human carers, followed by a discussion of the effectiveness of robots as carers as depicted in these fictional representations, and the final section considers the social environment that these robot carers are situated in, and how the robots become a reflection of human lives and a repository of memories of affective relations. These texts suggest alternate ways of thinking about human-robot interactions and care work, advocating for a more mutually dependent and reciprocal working relationship that might lead to a better quality of care.

How does the radiology community discuss the benefits and limitations of artificial intelligence for their work? A systematic discourse analysis

PURPOSE

We aimed to systematically analyse how the radiology community discusses the concept of artificial intelligence (AI), perceives its benefits, and reflects on its limitations.

METHODS

We conducted a qualitative, systematic discourse analysis on 200 social-media posts collected over a period of five months (April-August 2020).

RESULTS

The discourse on AI is active, albeit often referring to AI as an umbrella term and lacking precision on the context (e.g. research, clinical) and the temporal focus (e.g. current AI, future AI). The discourse is also somewhat split between optimism and pessimism. The latter considers a wider range of social, ethical and legal factors than the former, which tends to focus on concrete technologies and their functionalities.

CONCLUSIONS

Further precision in the discourse could lead to more constructive conversations around AI. The split between optimism and pessimism calls for a constant exchange and synthesis between the two perspectives. Practical conversations (e.g. business models) remain rare, but may be crucial for an effective implementation of AI in clinical practice.

Sustainable Swine Manure Management: A Tale of Two Agreements

Intensification and concentration of swine farming has provided economic benefit to rural communities but also negative environmental and human health impacts, particularly from the use of the lagoon-sprayfield system for manure management. Although cost effective, this system is susceptible to poor management, unpleasant odor and other emissions, and inundation during extreme weather events. Competition for manure-spreading acres with other livestock or encroaching development can also pose a problem. This study examines two agreements between industry and government designed to develop and implement improved manure management technologies for swine farms: a voluntary agreement between the attorney general of North Carolina and Smithfield Foods and a consent judgment between the State of Missouri and Premium Standard Farms. Individuals involved in executing these agreements were interviewed to gain insight from their perspective on those processes and lessons they learned from their experience. Common themes among participant responses to support transition processes included the need to involve multiple stakeholder groups, clearly define goals, understand the system, allow time for incremental change, and provide adequate “protected space” for technology development and implementation. Viewing these themes through the lens of multi-level perspective theory identifies leverage points throughout the system to support transitioning farms to a more sustainable path of manure management.

Video-guided exercise after stroke: a feasibility randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Facilitating self-directed upper-limb exercise in people after a stroke whilst not in therapy sessions may increase therapy intensity and improve outcomes. Objectives: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of video-guided exercise for facilitating upper-limb exercise after stroke.

METHODS

A single-blind feasibility randomized controlled trial with embedded qualitative study in stroke wards at a large teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Fourteen participants with stroke were randomized to either video-guided exercise intervention or a "treatment-as-usual" control group. Intervention participants received a computer tablet containing filmed individualized exercises to guide out of therapy practice. The primary outcome measure was the Motor status scale (MSS) for the upper limb, which was used to guide possible sample sizes for a future main trial. Qualitative focus group and interview data on feasibility/acceptability were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

The intervention was acceptable, but the need for motivation/support to exercise was highlighted. Based on similar assumptions to the feasibility study, circa ninety-two patients in each group would be needed to detect a difference of 5 in upper-limb motor status for a main trial.

CONCLUSION

A trial of video-guided exercise is feasible, although an optimal main trial would require some relatively minor changes to design, outcome measures, eligibility, and the intervention.

Discrepancies between Expected and Actual Implementation: The Process Evaluation of PERS Integration in Nursing Homes

Recent studies prove that when implementing new technology technology-driven and one-size-fits-all approaches are problematic. This study focuses on the process of implementing personal emergency response system (PERS) at nursing homes. The aim is to understand why the implementation of PERS has not met initial expectations. Multiple methods were used in two Swedish nursing homes, including document analysis, questionnaires (n = 42), participant observation (67 h), and individual interviews (n = 12). A logic model was used to ascertain the discrepancies that emerged between expected and actual implementation, and the domestication theory was used to discuss the underlying meanings of the discrepancies. The discrepancies primarily focused on staff competence, system readiness, work routines, and implementation duration. Corresponding reasons were largely relevant to management issues regarding training, the procurement systems, individual and collective responsibilities as well as invisible work. The uptake of technology in daily practice is far more nuanced than a technology implementation plan might imply. We point out the importance of preparing for implementation, adjusting to new practices, and leaving space and time for facilitating implementation. The findings will be of use to implementers, service providers, and organizational managers to evaluate various measures in the implementation process, enabling them to perform technology implementation faster and more efficiently.

Nutrient control in water bodies: A systems approach

Nutrient pollution is considered a wicked problem because of its many significant economic, social, and environmental impacts that are caused by multiple pollutants originating from a variety of sources and pathways that exist across different temporal and spatial scales. Further adding to the difficulty in managing nutrient pollution is that it is a global, rural, and urban problem. A systems approach can improve nutrient management by incorporating technological, environmental, and societal considerations. This approach can consider valuation of monetized and nonmonetized co-benefits and the inherent consequences that make up a nutrient management program. In this introduction to a special collection of papers on nutrient pollution, we describe several systems frameworks that can be used to support nutrient management and evaluation of system performance as it relates to impacts, then highlight several attributes and barriers of nutrient management that point to the need for a systems framework, and conclude with thoughts on implementing systems approaches to nutrient management with effective community engagement and use of new technologies. This special collection presents results from a USEPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) initiative to advance solutions to nutrient pollution through innovative and sustainable research and demonstration projects for nutrient management based on a systems approach. These studies evaluate several promising nutrient control technologies for stormwater or domestic wastewater, investigate the effects of agricultural conservation practices and stream restoration strategies on nutrient loads, and discuss several challenges and opportunities-social, policy, institutional, and financial considerations-that can accelerate adoption of reliable technologies to achieve system-level outcomes.

Explaining Factors Leading to Community Acceptance of Wind Energy. Results of an Expert Assessment

The present article deals with two key drivers of social acceptance of wind energy: procedural justice and distributional justice. It is based on a comparative expert assessment carried out in the frame of the Horizon 2020 project WinWind covering six European countries. The focus of the paper is on procedural and financial participation of citizens and local stakeholders in wind energy projects. The first part covers institutional arrangements for public engagement in two areas of the decision-making process—wind turbine zoning/siting in spatial plans and authorization procedures. Here, three levels of public involvement—information, consultation and participation—were analyzed. The second part examines active and financial participation of citizens and local stakeholders. Here, we distinguish between two different modes of governance: institutionalized forms of public governance and voluntary forms of corporate governance. The outcomes suggest that concrete paths to the social acceptance of wind energy are fostered via appropriate institutional spaces for public engagement. Furthermore, missing opportunities for active and passive financial participation can have strong negative consequences for community acceptance

Extreme weather events and wastewater infrastructure: A system dynamics model of a multi-level, socio-technical transition

Coastal communities and their wastewater treatment systems are vulnerable to the impacts of extreme events. Decision-making about transitioning critical infrastructure across scale - onsite, community, or centralized - to an improved treatment portfolio is complex as it couples financial, social, policy, technological, and environmental factors with impacts to public health and aquatic ecosystems. In this paper, we propose a system dynamics approach to consider important factors and dynamics that influence municipalities' decision-making process for wastewater infrastructure transitions in the Florida Keys, particularly considering some impacts of a changing climate. Our research utilizes social-technical transition theories to develop an adaptable and dynamic decision-making tool for transitioning to an improved portfolio of wastewater technologies and to determine strategies that improve the portfolio's performance measures (i.e. nutrient loading and reliability) under extreme weather scenarios. The initial simulation results demonstrate that it is important to incorporate the impacts from extreme events into the wastewater infrastructure decision-making process because they increased nutrient loading by >20% and decreased reliability by nearly 10%. With this climate-informed decision-making structure, strategies were developed to facilitate the transition to an improved wastewater treatment portfolio. The strategies include a new socio-economic decision-making approach, technology and economic policies, and socio-technical behavior change. The socio-technical strategy simulated widespread adoption of urine diversion technologies which made the greatest improvement to nutrient loading with an 81% decrease. Furthermore, the best approach to improve the reliability performance measure (from 81% to 83%) was the technology and economic policy which economically disincentivized investment in centralized wastewater systems and changed the community-level technology option.

A Collaborative Transformation beyond Coal and Cars? Co-Creation and Corporatism in the German Energy and Mobility Transitions

In this article, we critically discuss the role of collaboration in Germany’s path towards a post-carbon economy. We consider civic movements and novel forms of collaboration as a potentially transformative challenger to the predominant approach of corporatist collaboration in the mobility and energy sectors. However, while trade unions and employer organizations provide a permanent and active arena for policy-oriented collaboration, civil society groups cannot rely on an equivalently institutionalized corridor to secure policy impact and public resonance. In that sense, conventional forms of collaboration tend to hinder the transformation towards a post-carbon economy. Collaboration in the German corporatist setting is thus, from a sustainability perspective, simultaneously a problem and a solution. We argue for more institutionalized corridors between civil society and state institutions. Co-creation, as we would like to call this methodical approach to collaborating, can be anchored within the environmental and industrial policy arenas.

Technological Frames and Care Robots in Eldercare

Care robots are often portrayed as an exciting new technology for improving care practices. Whether these robots will be accepted and integrated into care work or not, is likely to be affected by the assumptions, expectations and understandings held by potential end users, such as frontline staff and the people that are cared for. This paper describes how the conceptual framework of technological frames was used to identify the nature of care robots, care robots in use and care robot strategy as shared group level assumptions, expectations and understandings of care robots among care staff and potential care receivers. Focus groups were conducted with 94 participants. These groups consisted of line managers, frontline care staff, older people and students training to become carers. The technological frame of the nature of care robots revealed two complementary components: care robots as a threat to the quality of care, and care robots as substitute for humans and human care, held together by imaginaries of care robots. The technological frame of care robots in use revealed aspects of prospective end-users’ uncertainty of their ability to handle care robots, and their own perceived lack of competence and knowledge about care robots. In addition, the following potential criteria for successful use of care robots were identified: adequate training, incentives for usage (needs and motives), usability, accessibility and finances. The technological frame of care robot strategy was revealed as believed cost savings and staff reduction. The novelty of the results, and their relevance for science and practice, is derived from the theoretical framework which indicates that adoption of care robots will be dependent on how well societies succeed in collectively shaping congruent technological frames among different stakeholders and aligning technological development accordingly.

‘We Do Not Want Fake Energy’: The Social Shaping of a Solar Micro-grid in Rural India

During the last two decades, numerous policy actors have advocated multiple models for the diffusion of solar energy-based technologies in India. In recent years, the social development-based energy business model was promoted by some NGOs, civil society groups and academicians for reaching the poor for meeting their energy needs. Using a case study approach, this article explores the social shaping of a solar micro-grid established in rural Bihar through the hybrid model of environmental governance. The article employs the social shaping of technology framework to explain the top-down and bottom-up interpretations of the solar micro-grid in rural India. By focusing on the idea of citizens and consumers, it explains the influence of the wider socio-political context in closing down the debate and stabilising the choices. The article illustrates the implications of the narrow framing of the socio-technical ensemble by the NGO’s and civil society groups (top-down perspective) on the diffusion potential of the solar micro-grid. The bottom-up perspective adds more layer to the interpretation of the socio-technical ensemble. An integrated, comprehensive understanding based on both the top-down and bottom-up perspective would help in developing a responsible research and innovation paradigm.

Digital local information services in developing countries: Evidence from Colombia

This exploratory research identifies and investigates factors that affect the delivery of local information in a developing country. The service provider and 195 local institutions based in Medellin, Colombia collaborate through an online portal, Infolocal, constituting a local information landscape (LIL). The study implements a conceptual framework for the LIL and highlights deficiencies in traditional local information service models. A Delphi study was conducted with global experts of local information services (LIS) in order to refine the traditional Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model constructs for the Infolocal information service. Second, a survey was developed based on the revised categories (effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, organisational support, and affective commitment) and disseminated to the local institutions to assess their perceptions of the service. This data was then evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. The study found that theories of technology acceptance were insufficient in explaining the disjunctions in the information landscape of this service. This study contributes to closing a gap in understanding the perceptions of LIS practice from the perspective of institutions that engage directly with citizens’ technology acceptance and use behaviour in a multilevel relationship. This article captures, compares, and analyses the disjunctions between the theoretical frameworks as espoused by experts and the practices of LIS.

Exploring the Disruptiveness of Cryptocurrencies: A Causal Layered Analysis-Based Approach

The purpose of this study is to explore whether the diffusion of cryptocurrencies represents a disruptive change and what is the potential magnitude of this change. To this end, we take disruptive innovation theory as our point of departure to scrutinize cryptocurrencies as an instance of socio-technical change. We employ Causal Layered Analysis to develop our four-layer analytical framework to conceptually examine the changes pertained by the diffusion of cryptocurrencies. We provide examples of changes company-level, industry-level as well as societal changes where cryptocurrencies have played a central role. On a company level, cryptocurrencies provide a cost-efficient means for cross-border money transfer and thus pose a significant threat to the existing intermediary-based business models. On an industry level, many central banks are experimenting with crypto- or digital currencies. On a societal level, cryptocurrencies play an important role in particularly when the traditional institutions and societal structures collapse. For example, in Venezuela’s recent political and economic crisis, cryptocurrencies contributed to the development of a parallel financial system when the bolivar practically lost its value. Our study provides an analytical framework to systematically evaluate the potential disruptive nature of cryptocurrencies as well as other blockchain-based technologies.

Hitting a moving target: digital transformation and welfare technology in Swedish municipal eldercare

INTRODUCTION

This article contributes to the discussion on digital transformation and welfare technology in municipal eldercare. The aim of welfare technology solutions is to exceed the current welfare system and to meet the challenges of an ageing population through technological innovations and applications that help people to better cope with health issues and strengthen their participation, activity and independence regarding their own healthcare.

METHODS

First, this article outlines a number of different perspectives on technological and social change. Against this backdrop, this article portrays the challenges faced by Swedish municipal eldercare organizations due to the moving targets of digital transformation and the development of welfare technologies.

CONCLUSION

In this context, eldercare organizations are at risk of becoming victims of the fast pace at which technology develops and the rhetoric of technological determinism; they may try to pursue the latest technological innovation at the expense of their stakeholders' needs. The implementation and deployment of welfare technology become a real-world social experiment. Without proper tools for evaluation, welfare technology might be implemented and deployed as an end in itself, instead of as means for better ageing or improved eldercare. This article concludes by framing a set of questions to help increase the understanding of welfare technology implementation and deployment in order to mitigate risks and improve outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Analysis of different perspectives regarding technological and social change. Identification of the challenges faced by municipal eldercare organizations due to digital transformation. Presentation of evaluation questions to increase the understanding of welfare technology implementation and deployment in order to mitigate risks and improve outcomes.

Adoption of Systemic and Socio-Technical Perspectives in Waste Management, WEEE and ELV Research

A greater quantity and variety of materials are being produced worldwide to meet demand for consumer products, buildings and infrastructure. Additionally, highly diffused products such as cars and electronics have become materially complex and depend on numerous scarce metals. Consequently, managing the societal supply of a variety of materials and metals sustainably is becoming increasingly important. This includes the use of efficient and effective waste management. However, the current management of waste in general and of waste consumer products specifically, have been pointed out as requiring significant developments to become more advanced to cope with the increasing material complexity. It has also been pointed out that research taking systems perspectives is crucial to improve waste management. Additionally, researching change processes and the co-evolution of social and technical factors (i.e., socio-technical change), has furthered the understanding of how ‘green’ industries develop in other empirical fields. Consequently, both systemic and socio-technical perspectives are likely relevant to waste management research. We used the Scopus database to search for 31 research approaches associated with such perspectives in journal articles writing about waste management in general, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) or end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). We conclude that, although the majority of the examined research does not mention the considered approaches, some environmental system analysis approaches are frequently mentioned and show signs of growth in adoption. In contrast, socio-technical approaches are scarcely mentioned. Consequently, we argue that there are relevant scientific tools yet to be adopted in waste management, WEEE and ELV research.

The Politics of Selection: Towards a Transformative Model of Environmental Innovation

As a purposive sustainability transition requires environmental innovation and innovation policy, we discuss potentials and limitations of three dominant strands of literature in this field, namely the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions (MLP), the innovation systems approach (IS), and the long-wave theory of techno-economic paradigm shifts (LWT). All three are epistemologically rooted in an evolutionary understanding of socio-technical change. While these approaches are appropriate to understand market-driven processes of change, they may be deficient as analytical tools for exploring and designing processes of purposive societal transformation. In particular, we argue that the evolutionary mechanism of selection is the key to introducing the strong directionality required for purposive transformative change. In all three innovation theories, we find that the prime selection environment is constituted by the market and, thus, normative societal goals like sustainability are sidelined. Consequently, selection is depoliticised and neither strong directionality nor incumbent regime destabilisation are societally steered. Finally, we offer an analytical framework that builds upon a more political conception of selection and retention and calls for new political institutions to make normatively guided selections. Institutions for transformative innovation need to improve the capacities of complex societies to make binding decisions in politically contested fields.

Reconfiguration, Contestation, and Decline: Conceptualizing Mature Large Technical Systems

Large technical systems (LTS) are integral to modern lifestyles but arduous to analyze. In this paper, we advance a conceptualization of LTS using the notion of mature "phases," drawing from insights into innovation studies, science and technology studies, political science, the sociology of infrastructure, history of technology, and governance. We begin by defining LTS as a unit of analysis and explaining its conceptual utility and novelty, situating it among other prominent sociotechnical theories. Next, we argue that after LTS have moved through the (overlapping) phases proposed by Thomas Hughes of invention, expansion, growth, momentum, and style, mature LTS undergo the additional (overlapping) phases of reconfiguration, contestation (subject to pressures such as drift and crisis), and eventually stagnation and decline. We illustrate these analytical phases with historical case studies and the conceptual literature, and close by suggesting future research to refine and develop the LTS framework, particularly related to more refined typologies, temporal dimensions, and a broadening of system users. We aim to contribute to theoretical debates about the coevolution of LTS as well as empirical discussions about system-related use, sociotechnical change, and policy-making.

UTAUT for HSS: initial framework to study health IT adoption in the developing countries

Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) is an integrative concept that has been used widely to measure IT adoption. However, a recent study in a developing country concluded that UTAUT is not adequate in predicting IT adoption within the context of health system strengthening (HSS). It has been suggested that context-specific dimensions to modify UTAUT should be considered. The objective of this paper is to propose an extension of the theory, called UTAUT for HSS, as a reference for contextualizing health system variables for health IT adoption studies in the developing countries. We combined the multi-level framework of UTAUT with WHO health system building blocks. Modification of the original multi-level framework was performed on the 3 levels. i.e:  the higher-level contextual factors, middle-level, and individual-level contextual factors. Based on this, we propose a modified multi-level framework of technology acceptance and use for health system strengthening setting (UTAUT for HSS).  Given the complexities of health systems, more thoughts regarding the methodologies will be useful to enrich this initial framework.  Commentaries and discussions are invited for improvement, before implementation to obtain more complete story of health IT adoption in the low resources setting.

Creating energy citizenship through material participation

Transitions towards low-carbon energy systems will be comprehensive and demanding, requiring substantial public support. One important contribution from STS is to highlight the roles of citizens and public engagement. Until recently, energy users have often been treated as customers and passive market actors, or as recipients of technology at the margins of centralized systems. With respect to the latter role, critical or hesitant public action has been explained in terms of NIMBYism and knowledge deficits. This article focuses on the production of energy citizenship when considering public participation in low-carbon energy transitions. We draw upon the theory of 'material participation' to highlight how introducing and using emergent energy technologies may create new energy practices. We analyze an ongoing introduction of new material objects, highlighting the way these technologies can be seen as material interventions co-constructing temporalities of new and sustainable practices. We argue that artefacts such as the electric car, the smart meter and photovoltaic panels may become objects of participation and engagement, and that the introduction of such technologies may foster material participation and energy citizenship. The paper concludes with a discussion about the role of policies for low-carbon energy transitions on the making of energy citizenship, as well as limits of introducing a materially based energy citizenship.