Technological Change And Social Relations Of Production

Technology is not value-free; nor does it exist in a vacuum. It needs a social basis - technology is affected by society and influences it. Technology, Values, and Society illustrates this using an examination of cross-cultural case studies representing simple, intermediate, and complex societies. Certain forms of technology exist when conducive values and structures sustain them. However, this relationship is not one-way. Technological changes do precipitate social and value changes. It is impossible to sustain egalitarian values in a society involving technology based on hierarchical relationships. Understanding this connection is vital if we are to keep some control over the way in which technology affects us. This revised edition brings the topic to life for both faculty and students.

Monograph comprising a collection of conference papers on social implications of science Innovation and technological change - presents a sociological analysis of social system and social development prospects, an interpretation of Marxism social theory, the role of politics, intellectuals and cultural change, etc., And includes a case study on China and Japan. References. Conference held in toronto 1974 aug.

Society and Technological Change continues to be the essential text for exploring the relationship between human societies and the ever-evolving landscape of technology. The ninth edition follows the historical trajectory of technological development and its profound impact on various aspects of human life, from communication and healthcare to economic systems and governance. At the same time, it shows how these technologies have themselves been shaped by social, economic, cultural, and political forces, and that the study of technology is important not just for its own sake but also for what it tells us about the kinds of societies we make for ourselves. With its engaging writing style and thought-provoking content, this new edition continues to be an indispensable resource for students, scholars, and anyone seeking a deep understanding of the intricate bond between society and technology in our ever-evolving world.

Technical change, defined as the manufacture and modification of tools, is generally thought to have played an important role in the evolution of intelligent life on earth, comparable to that of language. In this volume, first published in 1983, Jon Elster approaches the study of technical change from an epistemological perspective. He first sets out the main methods of scientific explanation and then applies those methods to some of the central theories of technical change. In particular, Elster considers neoclassical, evolutionary, and Marxist theories, whilst also devoting a chapter to Joseph Schumpeter's influential theory.

In this wide ranging exposition of the various economic theories of technological change, Stanislaw Gomulka relates them to rates of growth experienced by different economies in both the short and the long term. Analysis of countries as diverse as Japan, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom demonstrates that there is an interdependence between technological change and the institutional and cultural characteristics of different countries, which can have a profound effect on their rates of growth. All of the major, relevant models are discussed, including those of Kuznets and Phelps, but throughout the emphasis is on the creation of a unified theoretical framework to help explain the impact of technological progress on both a micro and a macro scale.

This text brings together studies in various aspects of the theory of the capitalist economy. It focuses on major themes of the Marxist tradition that postulate the existence and importance of social relations and structures underlying the esoteric realm of economic categories: prices, profits, wages, etc. The author takes a reappraising, critical look at the concepts of the deep structure - value, explitation, immanent crisis - using the analytical tools of modern economics to improve those concepts. The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 explores the essential nature of capitalism, re-examining problems in the theory of value and exploitation. Part 2 tackles the issue of capitalism-specific paths of growth and technical change, putting forward a rigorous theory of biased technical change and non-steady-state growth. Part 3 examines the cyclical character of capitalist growth and the theory of crises. Finally, Part 4 places capitalism in the wider framework of modes of production, considering the theory of precapitalist formations and aspects of the theory and practical experience of socialism. The guiding theme is the combination, or confrontation, of rigorous, quantitative analytical techniques with equally demanding qualitative and political-economic conceptualization. The book's premise is that this interface is essential to a progressive yet distinctively Marxist social theory.

Researchers and students in the management of innovation will find in this book an analytical framework that articulates technological innovation processes and the creation of new markets. The multiplication of examples and cases helps the reader in better grasping the different aspects of the proposed framework. The focus on information and communication technologies is of high relevance: it enables the reader to put present developments in perspective, and this is especially relevant when discussing ascending innovation and the role of users and uses. Philippe Laredo, Universities of Paris-Est and Manchester, Coordinator of the European PRIME Network of Excellence Patrice Flichy takes the reader on a fascinating tour of the literature on technological innovation. Innovation is situated within the frames of functioning and use, offering rich insights into the strategies, tactics, improvisations and learning which occur through time. He emphasises the dreams and musings of inventors, novelists and the popular media to show how they mediate new technological frames of reference. This book offers an excellent synthesis of the literature and an original historical account of innovation with special reference to information and communication technologies. Robin Mansell, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK In Understanding Technological Innovation, Patrice Flichy s interest is in the genesis of technology. He describes the perspectives and interpretive schemes deployed by historians, sociologists and economists in attempts to understand the determinants, including chance, of the particular forms of products and systems that have come to dominate the market and play so important a role some would claim dominant in our lives. It is rare to find in one volume so informed a critique of the essential writings of historians of technology, contemporary sociologists and economic historians. His own special interest lies in the development of information technology and he puts his expertise to good use in revealing and contrasting the different perspectives and claims of these three schools. Louis L. Bucciarelli, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US Working at the interface between interactionist sociology, history and economics, Flichy provides us with a language for charting the evolution of new technologies, as generic technical capabilities are explored, perhaps inspired by visions of societal change, and become stabilised and attached to particular conceptions of use. He offers us an integrated perspective on technological innovation, addressing the influence of history and social context whilst remaining open to the often unanticipated dynamism and surprises that may surround both these trajectories. This book will provide a thoughtful contribution to current debates. The critical literature review will provide a rich and convenient source for advanced teaching and research training. Robin Williams, The University of Edinburgh, UK How do the social sciences address the question of innovation and the relationship between technology and use? This is the core point of this book which examines critically diverse works, in sociology, history, economics and anthropology, in order to formulate a new approach. This reflection is essentially of a general nature, though the cases used to illustrate the analysis are drawn primarily from the field of ICT. Patrice Flichy studies how the socio-technological actions of the different actors, particularly designers and users, are organized within the same frames of reference. He also introduces a new element into the model by demonstrating how time is involved in technological choices. Understanding Technological Innovation will be essential reading for advanced teaching and research training in the fields of science and technology studies, and media and communication studies.

Technological change is often seen as something that follows its own logic -- something we may welcome, or about which we may protest, but which we are unable to alter fundamentally. This reader challenges that assumption and its distinguished contributors demonstrate that technology is affected at a fundamental level by the social context in which it develops. General arguments are introduced about the relation of technology to society and different types of technology are examined: the technology of production: domestic and reproductive technology; and military technology. The book draws on authors from Karl Marx to Cynthia Cockburn to show that production technology is shaped by social relations in the workplace. It moves on to the technologies of the household and biological reproduction, which are topics that male-dominated social science has tended to ignore or trivialise -- though these are actually of crucial significance where powerful shaping factors are at work, normally unnoticed. The final section asks what shapes the most frightening technology of all -- the technology of weaponry, especially nuclear weapons. The editors argue that social scientists have devoted disproportionate attention to the effects of technology on society, and tended to ignore the more fundamental question of what shapes technology in the first place. They have drawn both on established work in the history and sociology of technology and on newer feminist perspectives to show just how important and fruitful it is to try to answer that deeper question. The first edition of this reader, published in 1985, had a considerable influence on thinking about the relationship between technology andsociety. This second edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded to take into account new research and the emergence of new theoretical perspectives.