Digital Technologies and the Problem of Democracy

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Jennifer Forestal
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Participatory Democracy ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Digital Technologies

This chapter introduces the book’s argument and approach. It argues that participatory democracy—understood as a method of collective problem-solving—is well suited for understanding the democratic implications of digital technologies. The chapter then explains why the book takes the methodological approach of examining the democratic effects of digital technologies through the lens of the built environment. Ultimately, the reason is one of power: the built environment exerts considerable power over us, shaping our behavior in often-invisible ways. Insofar as democracy requires citizen participation in the decisions that shape their lives, they require a built environment that affords the opportunity to engage in the requisite democratic affordances—specifically, the practices of recognition, attachment, and experimentalism. In order to facilitate these affordances, democratic environments must have three characteristics: (1) boundaries, to facilitate recognition; (2) durable spaces, to cultivate attachment; and (3) flexible spaces, to provide opportunities and resources for experimental habits.

scholarly journals Behavioral brittleness: the case for strategic behavioral public policy

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Ruth Schmidt ◽  
Katelyn Stenger
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Contextual Cues ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Impact Problem

Abstract Despite widespread recognition that behavioral public policy (BPP) needs to move beyond nudging if the field is to achieve more significant impact, problem-solving approaches remain optimized to achieve tactical success and are evaluated by short-term metrics with the assumption of stable systems. As a result, current methodologies may contribute to the development of solutions that appear well formed but become ‘brittle’ in the face of more complex contexts if they fail to consider important contextual cues, broader system forces, and emergent conditions, which can take three distinct forms: contextual, systemic, and anticipatory brittleness. The Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination rollout present an opportunity to identify and correct interventional brittleness with a new methodological approach – strategic BPP (SBPP) – that can inform the creation of more resilient solutions by embracing more diverse forms of evidence and applied foresight, designing interventions within ecosystems, and iteratively developing solutions. To advance the case for adopting a SBPP and ‘roughly right’ modes of inquiry, we use the Covid-19 vaccination rollout to define a new methodological roadmap, while also acknowledging that taking a more strategic approach may challenge current BPP norms.

scholarly journals Circular Digital Built Environment: An Emerging Framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6348
Author(s):  
Sultan Çetin ◽  
Catherine De Wolf ◽  
Nancy Bocken
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Framework Development

Digital technologies are considered to be an essential enabler of the circular economy in various industries. However, to date, very few studies have investigated which digital technologies could enable the circular economy in the built environment. This study specifically focuses on the built environment as one of the largest, most energy- and material-intensive industries globally, and investigates the following question: which digital technologies potentially enable a circular economy in the built environment, and in what ways? The research uses an iterative stepwise method: (1) framework development based on regenerating, narrowing, slowing and closing resource loop principles; (2) expert workshops to understand the usage of digital technologies in a circular built environment; (3) a literature and practice review to further populate the emerging framework with relevant digital technologies; and (4) the final mapping of digital technologies onto the framework. This study develops a novel Circular Digital Built Environment framework. It identifies and maps ten enabling digital technologies to facilitate a circular economy in the built environment. These include: (1) additive/robotic manufacturing, (2) artificial intelligence, (3) big data and analytics, (4) blockchain technology, (5) building information modelling, (6) digital platforms/marketplaces, (7) digital twins, (8) the geographical information system, (9) material passports/databanks, and (10) the internet of things. The framework provides a fruitful starting point for the novel research avenue at the intersection of circular economy, digital technology and the built environment, and gives practitioners inspiration for sustainable innovation in the sector.

scholarly journals The mirroring hypothesis: theory, evidence, and exceptions

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 709-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyra J Colfer ◽  
Carliss Y Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Technical Problem ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Organizational Form ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Relational Contracts ◽  
Industry Studies ◽  
Hypothesis Theory ◽  
Organizational Ties

Abstract The mirroring hypothesis predicts that organizational ties within a project, firm, or group of firms (e.g., communication, collocation, employment) will correspond to the technical dependencies in the work being performed. This article presents a unified picture of mirroring in terms of theory, evidence, and exceptions. First, we formally define mirroring and argue that it is an approach to technical problem-solving that conserves scarce cognitive resources. We then review 142 empirical studies, divided by organizational form into (i) industry studies, (ii) firm studies, and (iii) studies of open collaborative projects. The industry and firm studies indicate that mirroring is a prevalent pattern but not universal. However, in technologically dynamic industries, partial mirroring, where knowledge boundaries are drawn more broadly than operational boundaries, is likely to be a superior strategy. Firms can also strategically ‘break the mirror’ by implementing modular partitions within their boundaries, or by building relational contracts across their boundaries. Finally, studies of open collaborative projects, most of which focused on software, were not supportive of the hypothesis. We argue that digital technologies make possible new modes of coordination that enable groups to deviate from classical mirroring as seen in firms.

Methodological approaches to assessing the digitalization scale in types of economic activity in the region and the potential of digital technologies for the real economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 1519-1541
Author(s):  
Vitalii V. PECHATKIN ◽  
Liliya M. VIL'DANOVA
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Import Substitution ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Real Economy ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
The Real ◽  
Industrial Enterprises ◽  
Methodological Approaches

Subject. As digital technologies spread across all industries, active processes of digital transformation need to be managed both nationally and regionally. Assessing the extent of digitalization across types of economic activities is the key issue for setting up the socio-economic development strategy of the region and evaluating its efficiency. Objectives. The study is aimed to formulate and test methodological approaches to assessing the digitalization in types of economic activities and the potential of digital technologies for the real economy. Methods. The study relies upon the dialectical method, systems approach, questionnaires, expert approach, interpretation of empirical facts through tables, etc. Results. We devised a methodological approaches to assessing the extent of digitalization in types of economic activities across regions. The approach combines the quantification and evaluation of the process and helps determine the extent of local digital transformation at the regional level. We devised and tested the methodological approach to rating digital technologies, which have the high potential for raising the competitiveness and resilience to competition of the industrial sector in the Russian regions. As opposed to the existing approaches, the approach accounts for the current scale of digital technologies in the national economy, the potential for growth in the demand and supply in the domestic and foreign markets, and the potential for import substitution with respect to foreign technologies and products. Conclusions and Relevance. What makes the proposed methodological approaches more preferable is that they help assess not only the extent of digitalization in types of economic activities and the predominance of certain types in industrial enterprises, but also determine their potential for import substitution in terms of digital security.

Social network analysis applications in sustainable construction and built environment management: a review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nandun Madhusanka Hewa Welege ◽  
Wei Pan ◽  
Mohan Kumaraswamy
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Environment Management ◽  
Content Type

PurposeApplications of social network analysis (SNA) are evidently popular amongst scholars for mapping stakeholder and other relational networks in improving the sustainability of construction activities and the resulting built environment. Nevertheless, the literature reveals a lack of thorough understanding of optimal SNA applications in this field. Therefore, this paper aims to convey a comprehensive critical review of past applications of SNA in this field.Design/methodology/approach95 relevant journal papers were initially identified from the “Web of Science” database and a bibliometric analysis was carried out using the “VOS Viewer” software. The subsequent in-depth review of the SNA methods, focussed on 24 specifically relevant papers selected from these aforesaid 95 papers.FindingsA significant growth of publications in this field was identified after 2014, especially related to topics on stakeholder management. “Journal of Cleaner Production”, “International Journal of Project Management” and “Sustainability” were identified as the most productive sources in this field, with the majority of publications from China. Interviews and questionnaires were the popular data collection methods while SNA “Centrality” measures were utilised in over 70% of the studies. Furthermore, potential areas were noted, to improve the mapping and thereby provide useful information to managers who could influence relevant networks and consequentially better sustainability outcomes, including those enhanced by collaborative networks.Originality/valueCloser collaboration has been found to help enhance sustainability in construction and built environment, hence attracting research interest amongst scholars on how best to enable this. SNA is established as a significant methodological approach to analysing interrelationships and collaborative potential in general. In a pioneering application here, this paper initiates the drawing together of findings from relevant literature to provide useful insights for future researchers to comprehensively identify, compare and contrast the applications of SNA techniques in construction and built environment management from a sustainability viewpoint.

scholarly journals In Vitro City: A Laboratory without Experiments

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Severino Alfonso ◽  
◽  
Loukia Tsafoulia ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Aesthetics And Politics ◽  
Architectural Production ◽  
Critical Awareness ◽  
Building Systems

The paper states the relationships between the instrumentality of building systems, the aesthetics and politics of software and the digital technologies impact on the built environment. It explores the space between the architect’s intentionality and the changing modes in architectural production. The text proposes a critical awareness of the epistemological and technical dimension of the digital instruments as a way for architects to better appropriate the expanding array of digital tools in an ever-increasing urban complexity.

Designing for Democracy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Forestal
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Democratic Politics ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Democratic Practice ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Democratic Spaces ◽  
Personalization Of Politics

Designing for Democracy addresses the question of how to “fix” digital technologies for democracy by examining how the design of the built environment (whether streets, sidewalks, or social media platforms) informs how, and whether, citizens can engage in democratic practices. “Democratic spaces”—built environments that support democratic politics—must have three characteristics: they must be clearly bounded, durable, and flexible. Each corresponds to a necessary democratic practice. Clearly bounded spaces make it easier to recognize what we share and with whom we share; they help us form communities. Durable spaces facilitate our attachments to the communities they house and the other members within them; they help us sustain communities. And flexible spaces facilitate the experimental habits required for democratic politics; they help us improve our communities. These three practices—recognition, attachment, and experimentalism—are the affordances a built environment must provide in order to be a “democratic space”; they are the criteria to which designers and users should be attentive when building and inhabiting the spaces of the built environment, both physical and digital. Using this theoretical framework, Designing for Democracy provides new insights into the democratic potential of digital technologies. Through extended discussions of examples like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, it suggests architectural responses to problems often associated with digital technologies—loose networks, the “personalization of politics,” and “echo chambers.” In connecting the built environment, digital technologies, and democratic theory, Designing Democracy provides blueprints for democracy in a digital age.

Who Rules?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Heldman
Keyword(s):  
Deliberative Democracy ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Participatory Democracy ◽  
Policy Issue ◽  
Economic Democracy ◽  
Public Discussion ◽  
Corporate Power ◽  
Consumer Activism ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Models Of Democracy

This chapter applies participatory, deliberative, and economic models of democracy to consumer activism to determine whether it is an effective check on overbearing corporate power. This chapter begins with an analysis of when and how corporate power has grown in the U.S. It concludes that consumer activism strengthens participatory democracy by increasing rates of citizen participation and fostering self-governance; improves deliberative democracy by encouraging public discussion of policy issue; and strengthens economic democracy by democratizing the corporate sphere. Compared to traditional forms of participation, consumer activism is easier to engage, but limited by its episodic, reactive nature.

Active Use of Digital Technologies in Mathematical Problem Solving

2019 ◽  
pp. 183-203
Author(s):  
Duncan Symons ◽  
Robyn Pierce
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Mathematical Problem ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Mathematical Problem Solving ◽  
Grade 5 ◽  
Mathematical Vocabulary ◽  
Important Approach ◽  
Learning Platforms ◽  
Future Work

The need for students to engage in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity when utilizing digital technologies is well established given the current push to prepare our students for future work expectations, often referred to as Industry 4.0. In this chapter, 54 Grade 5 students participated in online collaborative mathematical problem solving over a period of 9 weeks. Text-based discussion and software derived artefacts were investigated in an effort to understand how this approach aligns with these expectations. An examination of the frequency/density of technical mathematical vocabulary use and identified examples, Talk Types is used as a means to understand how often students within the online environment are likely to be engaged in work that might be considered productive. The findings of this study suggest that utilizing online synchronous and asynchronous collaborative learning platforms for the purposes of mathematical problem solving is a small but important approach to preparing students for the era of Industry 4.0.

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