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Introduces the five papers published in this special issue of "Knowledge, Technology, & Policy" as it focuses on the dynamic relationship between emerging information and communication technologies and the changing institutional frameworks for governing its development and use. Examination by the papers of the changing platforms and services for global communications and the regulatory issues that interact with these developments; Variety of issues raised by the five papers that are related to different modes to regulate the development and use of the Internet; Reflection by the papers on different aspects archetypical modes.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Barry Fagin on the discussion of cryptography and another by Tulus Tambunan on technology transfer in Indonesia.

Human–computer interaction (HCI) is the discipline concerned with the design, evaluation, and implementation of interactive computing systems. Unlike many empirical sciences, HCI researchers do not typically solely study existing technologies, styles of interaction, or interface solutions. On the contrary, one of the core activities in contemporary HCI is to design new technologies – in the form of software and hardware prototypes – that act as vehicles through which HCI researchers’ ideas materialize and take on concrete form. Despite this situation, there is a very modest discussion in the discipline on the role of design as an activity in the research process; whether or not HCI could in fact be better understood as a design discipline than as an empirical science; and if, and if so how, the design element in HCI goes with its empirical claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature in the area of innovation systems (IS) has been growing in importance and the IS approach has become well established. It is widely used in North America, Western Europe and Scandinavia, both in academic contexts and also as a framework or tool for policymaking. This paper examines work by sociologists, historians and others who have attempted to provide new insights into the nature of technology, in order to determine how the new sociology of technology literature--particularly social construction of technology methodologies--can contribute to, and unpack the study of innovation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a review of words and their meanings in the field of technology studies, and an analysis the semantics of an idealistic international technology-related social movement that flourished briefly during the second half of the twentieth century. Sloppy nomenclature employed by proponents and observers of the movement led to people with opposite views appearing to agree (and vice versa), with the consequence that the movement's valuable policy insights exerted only marginal influence on mainstream technology policy. I conclude that poor technological semantics may undermine effective technological practice. Suggestions for a constructive technological nomenclature are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processes of standardization and innovation exist in creative tension—both complementary and opposing—vital to the advancement of our technological civilization. Intellectual property rights (IPR) bear an uneasy and unclear relationship to these processes. This paper examines the cultural roots of the IPR system and its relationship to innovation, creation and invention; then considers the political economy of IPR in the current business models and practices, the role of standards bodies and the need to re-conceptualize the public sphere. The paper suggests that current IPR practices risk harming our global system by privatizing knowledge and processes that ought to be kept public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In examining representations of cities, disease, and human biology, this paper reflects on what technologies reveal of the conditions to which they’re turned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to make intelligent decisions about implementing and managing a technology, managers must be able to estimate the value of the technology ex ante and to measure that value ex post. If it is going to be of practical use, any overall theory of technology must include methods for estimating and measuring the value of technology. While some of this value is tangible and relatively easy to estimate and measure, much of the value is intangible and very difficult to estimate and measure. Unfortunately, the state of the art in estimating and measuring the value of technology, particularly intangible value, is primitive at best. The bursting of the dot-com bubble is only the most recent example that illustrates the inadequacy of current practice. Using information technology as an example, this paper explores techniques for estimating and measuring the intangible value of technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the effort put into discovering or defining the nature of technology has been along "party lines," for example, either favoring technology or not. Although there is a clear divergence in the stand that various authors take with respect to this topic, I believe they share a common assumption, namely, that there is such a thing as "the essence" or "nature" of technology. My claim in this paper is that the broad use to which we put the term "technology" is better understood on the model of "family resemblance," a model put forward by Ludwig Wittgenstein, than it is on models that utilize the notion of "essence" or "nature." Not only does the family resemblance model serve us better in understanding the wide variety of uses of the term, but it also helps to ameliorate the antipathy between the parties that their discussions often invoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software is a difficult technology to understand strategically. Many frameworks developed for strategic technology analysis are specific to physical technologies. This paper analyzes two frameworks, the cascade model of technology evolution and the concept of technology potency. Modifications to the cascade model are proposed that make it more compatible with software. Difficulties with the concept of technology potency when applied to software are illustrated and directions for further research are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces the articles featured in the September 2001 issue of the 'Knowledge, Technology & Policy' journal focusing on standards, compatibility and infrastructure development. Impact of consortium standards on networks; State of the standardization system as an indicator of the respective overall mental, cultural and socio-economic states in different domains.

It is evident everywhere that levels of productivity are higher in large enterprises (LEs) and foreign-owned enterprises than in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), partly because they have higher levels of technology capacity. Thus increasing the productivity of non-farm SMEs might be facilitated through improved knowledge or technology. This study shows that foreign direct investment (FDI) is an important but limited channel for technology transfer from foreign countries to Indonesia. A case study of Tegal metalworking industry presented in this study shows that the most important channels for the diffusion of knowledge among domestic non-farm SMEs include sub-contracting arrangements. This study also shows that government agencies are currently the largest providers of training and similar assistance. However, these programs are marred by a low level of coverage, a lack of effective evaluation and assessment, and a supply rather than a demand orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing recognition of the central role of technology and knowledge management for market success of organizations. Little is empirically know, however, about this relationship. Drawing on the South African Innovation Survey, a unique dataset on innovative behavior of South African firms in manufacturing and services, this paper investigates the question to what extent and in which ways do technology and innovation management activities affect firms' market position. Findings show that conducting technology strategy activities pays out. Moreover, especially a combination of internal and external technology audits seems to be beneficial for organizational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What makes some firms more innovative than others and what determines the source of these innovations are questions that are still not adequately answered due to the complex, often esoteric, nature of the innovation process. This paper considers the effect of one externally oriented strategy (extent of formal inter-organizational linkages) and one internally oriented strategy (degree of knowledge intensity) on overall levels of innovativeness and the source of these innovations. Using data collected from firms operating in the bioscience-technology industries in both New York and Utah, our results suggest that both of these strategies have a significant effect upon innovation levels and the source of innovation (internally versus externally stimulated). Interestingly, there were few firms that undertook both of these strategies simultaneously and thus the proposed interaction effect where increased absorptive capacity (on the basis of knowledge intensity) would make external linkages even more valuable could not be discerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on competing urban visions and the shaping of the digital city. The emergence of the Information Society has been catalyzing numerous changes within cities and regions, as well as setting the scene for many projects that aim to enhancing the quality of urban life through the exploitation of new Information and Communication Technologies. The fact that ICTs can allow users to transcend, at least to a certain extent, the typical limitations in space and time of traditional lifestyles and working practices, is generating an interest for the social impacts of IT in towns and regions, as well as for the opportunities that can stem from the applications of these technologies.

Ethiopian Jewish immigrants in Israel are one of the most ancient communities in the world, one that has been detached from the known Jewish world for about 2,500 years. Throughout this very long period of isolation, the Ethiopian Jewish community maintained Jewish tradition and dreamed over the centuries to unite with the rest of the Jewish world and immigrate to the Jewish state—Israel. But this transition occurred within a short time from an agrarian society in Ethiopia (traditional culture) with an oral culture to a knowledge society in Israel (modern culture) with a written culture. Most studies that examine cultural transition focus on anthropological, sociological, and cultural aspects; but there are nearly no studies that examine the technological knowledge of non-literate populations. The purpose of this study is to examine and characterize technological knowledge among this population—the case of Ethiopian non-literate immigrants in Israel. The study involved in-depth interviews to examine technological knowledge through using technological appliances in their everyday life, assembly of two simple technological systems, and a home technology profile compared to the general population in Israel. Participants included 50 non-literate Ethiopian immigrants between the ages of 40–60. The results of our study are surprising in that we have shown that non-literate immigrants adapt to a technology-rich environment at an average degree with respect to the general population in Israel. Also, comparing technological knowledge between traditional and modern cultures shows participants’ wide range of knowledge without ability to read and write. Illiteracy does not preclude the development of knowledge in general, technological knowledge particularly, and does not prevent non-literate populations from acquiring knowledge in a new environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of technology as a human creation is explored through the topic of touch. Touch is variously considered as the alignment of properties of the technological artifact with human sense, as the virtuosity of the user and producer, as an aesthetic, and finally as a participation in problems of value that exceed any one person’s capacity to grasp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on radio frequency identification (RFID), the benefits and issues about specific uses of the technology as well as the role of the U.S. government in supporting or limiting the development of the technology. It has been noted that RFID involves a tag capable of transmitting low-strength radio signals and identifying a specific item within a class of products. It also enables the underlying information technology systems to create large databases with the potential to accommodate detailed histories of production, distribution, and usage. The author cites a mandate from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the Department of Defense which instructs suppliers to convert RFID systems in January 2005. However, the author and consumer groups believed that RFID invades consumer privacy.

For a variety of policy reasons, governments throughout the world are now adopting different legislative and administrative strategies that support the development of FLOSS. Some governments have actually begun to procure FLOSS, whereas others have channeled public funds to large-scale FLOSS projects. This study demonstrates both the benefits and the risks of government policy favoring FLOSS from the perspective of economics, technology, and politics, and to further analyze whether these same policy goals can be achieved through government support of FLOSS. The most fundamental argument of the study is that, in lending its support to FLOSS, the difference between a government user and a business user is that the government should take into account society's long-term interests, not merely its own interests as a consumer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the emergence of standards and regulation associated with the provision of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance systems in the United Kingdom. It argues that despite the intrusive and controlling nature of CCTV technology there is limited formal intervention in the form of legislation, governing its introduction and use. Instead government has sought to influence the regulation of the technology indirectly through its ability to shape and govern policy networks in the policy arena. In doing so, it is argued here, that government remains the dominant actor in the policy process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way information and communication technology (ICT) develops can promote or hinder the democratic potential of this critical societal infrastructure. Concerns about the role standards development organizations (SDOs) play in this context predate the "digital age" but are reemerging amid substantial changes in the institutional landscape of standardization. This article explores the increasingly critical link between the institutional design of SDOs and the democratic design of ICT. We review some principles of democracy in terms of the design of technology, apply these to standardization, and discuss the role public policy may play here, while distinguishing between input and output legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents several insights about technology. Politicization of Internet security; U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's request for patient medical records; Effect of U.S. sanctions on scholarly publishing.

The primary objective of this essay is to establish a basis for the development of a socio-biological approach to understanding the phenomenon of technological society and technical change, one that also serves to bridge the gap that has grown between natural science and social theory. The objective stems from the belief that an ecological crisis is looming that will require a new form of pragmatism from which new instruments for analysis, evaluation, and implementation can emerge and which, of necessity, will be multidisciplinary in character. One possible intellectual framework is proposed, that of a biology of technology, a conceptualization of human organization woven from an unlikely mix of theoretical perspectives. The most consequential of these is structural determinism, a tenet of autopoietic theory (also known as the biology of cognition). Other elements, including actor network theory, a metatheory of technology, and cognitive anthropology are explored before proceeding to consider some implications should the thesis be adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses technological changes in the financial industry in London, England in an effort to prevent terrorist attacks. Changing nature of potential terrorist threats; Development of response to the catastrophic potential of postmodern terrorist attack.

Examines how media technologies are transforming the nature of risk in contemporary society. Ways in which the Internet came to act as key vehicle for the rapid circulation of news, rumors and hoaxes in the wake of September 11; Reassessment theories of risk society in relation to growing concern about the nature of future terrorist attacks; Suggestion for a need to understand how the dynamics of media technologies are altering ways in which man perceive risks.

Reports on news and developments concerning technology. Policy conflicts surrounding Internet law issues; Types of information security threats; Debate on full disclosure and bug secrecy; Statement of Yakvai Enti, spokesman of the Mnemonists, Praise-singers, and Anthemists Association to His Highness Hammurabi, King of Sumeria; Challenge for a team for scientists working at a laboratory in Haifa, Israel to crack the encryption technique used to unscramble television signals delivered to paying customers through cable and satellite across Europe and the United States.

Focuses on the relationship between technology and terrorism. Discussion about the Internet whether threat of insurgency justify restrictive privacy of Internet users; Assessment of the problematic definition and nature of resistance; Exploration of the controversial description of terrorism and government in cyberspace.

Focuses on the preliminary cross-disciplinary research into the technological and policy dimensions of the U.S. border security regime in the post-September 11th era. Emergence of complex advances in security and surveillance technologies; Analysis of the defined threats and solutions to border security; Role of epistemic communities and private-public partnerships in policy formulation.

Discusses the aspect on whether terrorism can be viewed as a technology in theoretical perspective. Analysis of thinking about the Revolution in Military Affairs; Decline in the relative importance of the nation-state; Impact of military thinking about the threat models on terrorism.

Provides information on the brief history of terrorism in the U.S. Investigation of terrorism to organized groups that use technological means; Deployment of disguised and remote technologies; Efforts to suppress radical groups and exploitation of mass media in 1880s.

Presents several articles related to knowledge, technology and policy published in the journal 'Knowledge, Technology, & Policy.' Issue of civil liberties on digital divide; Ideas for reforming corporate governance after Enron; Investigation over the suspected car bomb.

Discusses the constitutional causes for technological leadership in Europe. Question on the technological takeoff in Europe; Study of the Gordon Tullock's hypothesis on the technological leadership position; Impact of technological leadership in Tullock's hypotheses on the Treaty system in Westphalia.

Because technology plays such an important part in our daily lives, in our businesses, and in government policy, we need to understand it better. But technology has not undergone the elegant simplification that marks the development of most fields of knowledge as they grow to maturity. To achieve simplification we need first to discover the fundamental structure that underpins all technologies. Such a structure may well turn out to be one of the more significant conceptual foundations of the new century. What is the state of knowledge in this area? Beginning with Babbage early in the nineteenth century, many attempts have been made to create such a structure. The history of these attempts is poorly recorded with no well-documented central theme. One approach, called Strategic Technology Analysis (STA), seems to have advanced a little further than most others. It focuses on the intrinsic characteristics of technologies. Based on these characteristics, the field offers a set of frameworks for analyzing individual technological entities as well as entire technological landscapes. These frameworks cover the (1) anatomy, (2) taxonomy, (3) evolution, and (4) ecology of technology. This article traces the development of these frameworks. It recommends that they be scrutinized anew and evaluated as part of a revitalized search for fundamental structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The game of IS/IT-standard has fundamentally changed its nature. The point we shall make is that standardization on technologies and standardization on business processes are two different games. In the future infocentric corporate environment IS/IT might very well be more motivated towards standardizing their business processes than technologies. Consequently, striving towards interoperability and positioning oneself advantageously in the connected world should be the main concern of business and corporate IS/IT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents viewpoints of a person about technology as both the source of vulnerabilities and answer to specific problems. Initial response created from the September 11 terrorist attack; Cycle that depicts generation of professionals to forget hard-won lessons of its predecessors' errors; Application of engineering that builds culture.