Green growth or degrowth? Evaluating the potential of technology for sustainability

The raging debate between green growth and degrowth continues. Technology is a focal point in this debate as the advocates of green growth and degrowth have contradictory views on the roles and impacts of technology on environment and society. Green growth advocates believe that technology can allow indefinite growth while simultaneously ensuring environmental and societal sustainability, whereas the degrowth advocates argue that technological progress cannot allow indefinite growth. These views are largely opinion based rather than informed by objective and systematic analyses because comprehensive tools to evaluate the roles and impacts of technology on environment and society do not yet exist. This paper develops a much-needed framework to comprehensively evaluate the roles of technology on environment and society by analysing the interactions among the dimensions of technology, environment, economy and society. Key parameters that characterise technology are proposed for its evaluation and the policy implications of technological evaluations are examined. Finally, potential future research directions are explored. The technological evaluation approach proposed in this paper has a potential to significantly advance the green growth versus degrowth debate.

Can technology readiness predict farmers’ adoption intention of the e-AgriFinance app?

PurposeThis research aims to examine the effect of the two dimensions of technology readiness – motivator and inhibitor on behavioural intention to adopt a mobile agricultural finance app called e-AgriFinance app among the farmers in Sarawak, Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 337 farmers who cultivated the 4 major crops in Sarawak – oil palm, rubber, cocoa and pepper using a face-to-face questionnaire survey. Collected data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling with R plspm package.FindingsThe research found that both motivator and inhibitor dimensions of technology readiness predicted the farmers’ behavioural intention to adopt the e-AgriFinance app, with the former had a relatively stronger positive effect and the latter had a relatively weaker negative effect.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was conducted in the context of rural farmers in an emerging economy. As such, modern farmers in developed countries may have different adoption behaviour of mobile agricultural finance app. The data were collected from farmers of the four major crops – oil palm, rubber, cocoa and pepper, and thus it may not be representative of the whole population of farmers in Sarawak.Originality/valueThis research served as one of the few studies that focused on the relationship between technology readiness and mobile app adoption among farmers from the perspective of an emerging economy.

E-Commerce Di Era Industri 4.0 Dan Society 5.0

This paper discusses e-commerce, industry 4.0 and society 5.0 which includes definitions, history, framework and dimensions of technology. From this scope, a comparison was made between industry 4.0 and society 5.0 and a discussion on the alignment and impact of industry 4.0 and society 5.0 on e-commerce. After a deeper comparison and discussion, it can be concluded that technology society 5.0 is a continuation of industry technology 4.0. Then there is technology alignment between e-commerce with the era of industrial 4.0 and society 5.0, where e-commerce technology follows and adapts its technology to each of those eras. The era of industrial 4.0 and society 5.0 had many positive impacts on the development and progress of e-commerce.

The Medical Drug as a Technological Object

This article considers the medical drug as a technological object, in order to determine what philosophy of technology can bring to the study of pharmaceuticals and what the study of medical drugs can bring to the philosophy of technology. This approach will allow us to locate the differences between the medical drug and other objects that usually form the focus for studies in the philosophy of technology, and to discuss the problematic fit of the models proposed in the field to pharmaceuticals. After reflecting on the origins of this problem in both the philosophy of pharmacy and the philosophy of technology, I propose an examination of medical drugs using an analytical schema developed by Andrew Feenberg. I expose several shortcomings of this ‘post-phenomenological’ philosophy of technology applied to medical drugs. Despite the various problems identified, I nevertheless argue that the philosophy of technology is useful for thinking about medical drugs, particularly because of the emphasis it places on the social and political dimensions of technology. In conclusion, I argue in favour of a more open, eclectic philosophical engagement with medical drugs that puts more emphasis on their economic, social and political dimensions.