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This paper explores future digital technology policy for education with reference to the Irish context. Framed within the global context of commercial influence on education and related discourses, it addresses the Irish context with particular reference to identifiable 'push' and 'pull' factors seen as influencing policy provision in any next phase. The paper then proceeds to outline a number of intersecting factors or issues that will likely influence digital technology policy and practice in Irish schools in the future, taking into consideration the political, corporate, social, economic and educational backdrop. Likely ethical, environmental and educational factors are proposed and discussed. Looking across these factors, the paper concludes that establishing a clear vision of the role and purpose of technology in education, coupled with a more complex understanding and appreciation of the interaction between technology and education (which is contextually bound and relational, and reflects greater teacher rather than corporate agency) are significant prerequisites to any consideration of the future of digital education in the Irish educational policy context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we attempt to provide starting points for a discussion on immediate and longer term consequences of COVID-19-induced uses of digital technologies for the distinction of the public and the private spheres. We start with clarifying definitions of the public and the private spheres in relation to the concept of privacy. What is considered private is at least in part contextually determined by conventions and social, political, economic and technological developments. From this perspective, we set out to critically evaluate the COVID-19-induced large-scale introduction of new digital tools in two essential areas of life: the workplace and education. We discuss the role of technology and its immediate concomitant legal or ethical challenges. The paper concludes with reflections on the possible longer-term normative effects of the use of digital tools in the context of the COVID-19 containment on the demarcation of the public and private spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the digital revolution accelerates and expands in the business world, governments must transform the workforce experience to drive the economy and align it with the changes of the future. In this paper, an innovative and advanced methodological approach for assessing the composite relational dynamics supporting innovative and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems is investigated. This research uses the hierarchical decision model (HDM) to construct a generalized ecosystem assessment framework for entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem strategies to increase the adoption of innovation in sustainable entrepreneurship. The research focuses on the policies and strategies generating all kinds of innovations and propose a model with a comprehensive set of measures to help policy and strategy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital environments have expanded the forms of cultural participation. This paper has two aims: first, to elucidate the changing definitions of cultural participation in relation to digital environments; second, to examine the ways in which cultural policies respond to the new digital conditions of cultural participation. Focusing on Quebec (Canada), this paper is based on a critical review of grey literature in the public policy. We identified three main goals pursued by Quebec cultural policies regarding digital participation: 1) to produce and disseminate national cultural content; 2) to encourage cultural equity and diversity; 3) to encourage digital equity. The analysis shows that these goals partially exceed the scope of cultural policies to intersect with economic, educational, and youth policies. We also argue that policy frameworks and funding programs in support of cultural policies tend to legitimize an overlap of civic, commercial, and industrial logics of cultural participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the impact of technological progress and digitization on Ghana's economy using panel data for the period 2009–2019. Technological progress and economic growth inter-dependency was analyzed in two steps. First, the relation was tested using Augmented Dickey–Fuller method. Second, we estimated the long-run relation between the variables by using Engel Granger and Error Correction models. The results indicate that adopting technology or digitizing the economy has the potential to drive sustainable growth and development. In particular, it was noted that ICT investments drive high productivity rates and faster economic growth. In sum, technological progress and digitization have the potential to foster significant growth and therefore must be given high credence in the planning and designing of development programmes. This paper contributes to development theories on the role that ICT plays in economic growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the sharing economy develops rapidly, associated sharing economy driven digital platforms are becoming increasingly important and are linked to social and economic development. Identifying the influencing factors of sharing economy driven digital platforms to promote social and economic development can provide relevant knowledge and suggestions for firms running these types of platforms. Therefore, this paper proposes an approach based on text mining that uses different models to explore the influencing factors of sharing economy driven digital platforms to promote social and economic development. The results show that sharing economy driven digital platforms with consumer-to-consumer business models emphasize social connections, while platforms with a business-to-consumer model focus more on economic benefits. Technological and regulatory innovation is the new driving force for sharing economy driven digital platforms to promote social and economic development in the future. Suggestions for sharing economy driven digital platforms to promote social and economic development are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores what it takes to develop a common language and shared sense of purpose between Māori and the high-tech science sector. Robotics and automation, 3-D printing, sensors, and digital technologies are shaping New Zealand's economy in fundamental ways. If, as envisioned under New Zealand's Vision Mātauranga policy, Māori contribution to economic growth through distinctive Indigenous innovation is to be recognised and valued, then how this happens in these frontier science domains requires investigation. Findings are presented from the first phase of a longitudinal study of one National Science Challenge: Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) – Kia Kotahi Mai, Te Ao Pūtaiao me te Ao Hangarau. Collecting a variety of data from science, business and Māori participants, the findings suggest that while there is enabling macro policy, organisational and science team human and relational capacities require recalibrating. The authors outline a model of how this can be done through a focus on mātauranga (knowledge), tikanga (practice) and kaupapa (focus areas) and how SfTI is reshaping its organisational practice to align to this model. The research also identifies the important role of the science intermediary as crucial to this alignment within teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greater participation in the digital economy provides a game changing opportunity to diversify and strengthen regional economies. Effective, integrated planning for the delivery of high-speed digital connectivity and the development of digital capability – at a regional level – is critical to achieving this. This paper proposes a compelling vision for regional digital growth, where stronger interactions at the regional level between physical, digital and knowledge accessibility generate economic growth, through increased exposure to the digital economy. This vision guides and orients the development of a strategic planning framework to deliver regional digital growth, embodied by a series of regional ‘building blocks’. By assembling these building blocks in harmony with a region's economic, ecological and social contexts, the ‘digital region’ can be designed – a planning overlay which brings focus to delivering a region's digital destiny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically study the impact of two innovation policies on economic growth in a region that is creative in the sense of Richard Florida and that uses digital technologies to produce a final consumption good. The use of these digital technologies in our creative region gives rise toincompleteknowledge spillovers. Our analysis generates three salient findings. First, we characterize the balanced growth path (BGP) equilibrium. Second, we solve the social planner's problem, describe the Pareto optimal allocation of resources, and then compare the Pareto optimal allocation with the BGP equilibrium allocation. Finally, we study the impacts that a research subsidy and a particular patent policy have on economic growth in our creative region and then we relate our findings to the incompleteness of the above-mentioned knowledge spillovers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue was inspired by the challenges faced by sport managers in our global community in the face of the economic downturn. During the calls for the special issue, society faced one of its most unprecedented challenges, COVID-19. This provide significant shock waves to the daily rituals in sport and society. The manuscripts in this special issue provide an insight into sport management during this period. The research presented is both rich and diverse and we believe provides readers and the global sport management community with important contributions for reflection and learning from a policy, management and practical level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the convergence of digitalisation in the European Union (EU) in terms of DESI per capita in all EU countries during 2015–2020. The empirical results sustain the hypothesis of convergence of the degree of digital level in the European Union member countries. In evaluating the convergence process, we also aimed to investigate the role of economic development and education, measured by gross value added and education index. The analysis results, the use of sigma and beta convergence methods, showed that the role of economic development is likely to be decisive in resolving disparities, as opposed to that of educational development. The sigma convergence analysis showed that the gap between the EU-28 countries regarding digitalisation tends to decrease in the analysed period. Spatial data analysis, in turn, provides strong evidence for the presence of spatial autocorrelation in the DESI distribution. This result is based on a spatial lagged model that considers that DESI growth rates are related both to their initial levels of digitalisation and the growth rates of neighbouring regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The converging agendas in supporting cultural creativity and digital innovation became evident in the development of creative economy in China. Maker culture has become a key concern for public policy in China, driven by a demand for individualised creativity and the need to co-opt such creativity for nation building. Critics of maker culture have argued that it re-enforces a new global hegemony, one that prioritizes the values of the developed West over Chinese socialist and Confucius values. Applying the concept of ideoscapes, I explore the interpretation and the mediation of the Western creative discourse by Chinese makers and their unique social practices. This article shows the local adaptation of liberal democracy. In the push for a national maker culture strategy, amateur makers as well as professional technology activists work with the state to re-define 'keywords' for the operationalisation of Western creative discourse in very different context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newspaper advertising expenditures depend more strongly on economic development than advertising spent in other media. Gross domestic product (GDP), therefore, predicts ad spending better in countries where newspapers are an important advertising medium. GDP also predicts ad spending better in countries where a larger proportion of GDP is spent on advertising. Intermedia competition, on the other hand, has little impact. In conclusion, the authors propose to distinguish three advertising cultures where ad spending follows economic development in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]