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Technologies and human values both have important bearing on human life and conditions. Unfortunately, the dialogue between them has remained inadequate, at best. While the discourse on human values recognizes various kinds and layers of values, including values that are universally relevant across societies and cultures, research on the interface between values and technology has predominantly focused on technology's interactions with society-specific values. This article is an attempt to broaden the scope of this research by specifically taking the case of cremation technologies. Numerous societal, religious and universal values interplay with each other in matters related to death and the dead. Unlike other technologies, an individual can 'use' cremation technology only once, that too with limited control over his/her choice. Our empirical research finds that a complex interaction of multiple layers of values shapes the form and trajectory of cremation technology. Tracking the debate on the adoption of cremation technology in Europe and India, we find important differences in this interaction across societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes an attempt to explore technological change as well as the motivations and pattern of technological capabilities in the Indian Ayurveda medicine industry. It seeks to investigate the different kinds of learning and technological innovations taking place in the post-WTO regime in the industry to enable it to cater for the global market. The paper discusses assimilative capabilities, collaborative learning and path-dependence of the Ayurveda industry with the help of primary data collected from firms, research institutes, and individual scientists. Broadly, we find the pattern of technological capability acquisition and learning to vary with firm’s size, ownership pattern, educational background of owners and firm age. We find that the categories of technological capabilities are not watertight in nature, and a firm can fall in more than one category at times. Our findings also suggest that changing formulation technologies poses a new challenge for the delivery mechanism of Ayurveda drugs, calling for a greater interdependence between medical practice and production systems. It observes the formation of region specific clusters driving collaborative learning in small and medium-sized enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Science-based” standards are an integral part of modern regulatory systems. Studies on “public understanding of science” mostly focus on high technology areas in advanced economies. In contrast, the present study analyses the public understanding of regulation in the context of standard-setting for bottled water quality in India. Using primary data, the econometric models of this paper show that public understanding of participation in regulation depends on awareness of, and trust in, existing regulatory practices in a complex, non-linear manner. In this light, the paper argues that “deficit model” and “dialogue model” frameworks cannot be seen as two mutually exclusive frameworks of analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ironically, the phenomenal growth in the academic literature on innovation in recent years has omitted the innovative activities in the informal sector. There is no doubt that the informal sector occupies a key position in the economic activities of many of today's developing and emerging economies. In fact, the so called ‘new view’ on the informal sector posits the activities of this sector in an optimistic manner, emphasising its role in providing wider access to goods and services. However, what lies behind their sustained competitive edge has remained unexplored. The key objective of the paper is to analyse the concepts ofjugaad''and grassroot innovations, the two most popular terms in the context of informal sector innovation in India, examine the nature of innovative efforts they embody, and the socio-economic values generated by these activities. This research is exploratory in nature and we mostly use qualitative data for our analysis. Such an analysis, we argue, will help us better appreciate the complexities of the informal sector in the Indian economy and open new vistas to understand innovative behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The rapid growth in consumption of bottled water across the globe has drawn attention of policy makers and academicians alike. However, its consumption practices have been examined primarily in the context of industrialized countries. Drawing on studies of Science, Technology and Society, Public Understanding of Science, and institutions, this article explores the nuances of the consumption conundrum of bottled water in India. This mixed method study relies on data collected through surveys and ethnography of consumption practices at selected sites in Delhi. We find reasons for bottled water consumption to vary with the site of consumption. Although the notions of “purity” and “scarcity” drive consumption behavior, these attributes are far from being objective. Rather, they are shaped by a complex mix of sociocultural factors, public understanding of science, and trust on various institutional mechanisms of water provisioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]