The Interdependence of Research Funding Concentration, Policy Priorities, and Problem Choice

The prioritisation of research funding towards a small elite of researchers and research topics of "strategic" importance are becoming a norm across national research systems. Researchers are increasingly worried that such steering hampers the diversity of scientific approaches and problems addressed. However, the effects of increased steering of who and what receives research funds are not well known. I use evidence from 65,000 research grants awarded by seven research councils in the United Kingdom and fifteen Danish research funders to investigate how strong funding concentration and thematic targeting leads to less topical diversity. Researchers in the very top of the funding distribution primarily investigate topics and disciplines with the most funding success, and research output form targeted funding schemes overlaps with that from investigatorledgrants. Moreover, priorities from private funders line up with the type of researchfunded by public research councils. The findings highlight how steering through funding decisions can multiply

Are AI ethics conferences different and more diverse compared to traditional computer science conferences?

Even though computer science (CS) has had a historical lack of gender and race representation, its AI research affects everybody eventually. Being partially rooted in CS conferences, “AI ethics” (AIE) conferences such as FAccT and AIES have quickly become distinct venues where AI’s societal implications are discussed and solutions proposed. However, it is largely unknown if these conferences improve upon the historical representational issues of traditional CS venues. In this work, we explore AIE conferences’ evolution and compare them across demographic characteristics, publication content, and citation patterns. We find that AIE conferences have increased their internal topical diversity and impact on other CS conferences. Importantly, AIE conferences are highly differentiable, covering topics not represented in other venues. However, and perhaps contrary to the field's aspirations, white authors are more common while seniority and black researchers are represented similarly to CS venues. Our results suggest that AIE conferences could increase efforts to attract more diverse authors, especially considering their sizable roots in CS.

Evaluating Public Library Events using a Combination of Methods

Public libraries hold an increasing number of events, where they face the very important, but often neglected, challenge of evaluation. This paper presents various studies performed to evaluate events for adults at the largest public library in Slovenia, Mestna knjižnica Ljubljana (Ljubljana City Library). A combination of methods was used: content analysis of library website and promotional brochures, interviews with both attendees and librarians, observation of events and a relatively large survey. Additionally, based on this research, seven personas representing typical user groups of events for adults were developed. While attendees were generally highly satisfied with the existing events, our research found room for improvement, especially regarding planning for particular user groups, scheduling and topical diversity of events and promotion aimed at both existing and potential visitors. Based on this research, Ljubljana City Library prepared guidelines for their future events for adults. Additionally, the general outline of the evaluation should be of benefit to any library regardless of type, size or location.

Historiography for accounting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the historiographic writings for accounting concerned with the craft of researching and writing history, published in the English-language, across a period of 30 years from 1983 to 2012. The study's aim is three-fold: first, to review the literature pertaining to the writing of accounting history and to identify key developments and trends; second, to identify the contributors to this literature and their publication outlets and third, to analyze citations to identify individuals or groups who have gained traction in accounting historiography. Design/methodology/approach – An essay focusing on developments in the accounting historiography literature as well as a review of some key thoughts or issues in present-day accounting historiography. Findings – The study shows that a key development in the accounting historiography literature during this period has been the advent of new accounting history, which has contributed much theoretical and topical diversity in historical accounting research and an acceptance of the role of oral history as a means of expanding the archive. Research limitations/implications – The present study, with its focus on contributions on the craft of researching and writing history, does not itself examine actual research studies which have been undertaken on accounting's past across the same period of time. Originality/value – The study may assist in making the contributions examined more generally assessable and comprehensible to researchers to both explore and re-explore and may even contribute to the development of further contributions on accounting historiography to guide the approaches to, and direction of, historical accounting research in future.