Introduction and Special Section on Socio-Technical Futures and the Governance of Innovation published in the journal Futures by Knud Böhle and Kornelia Konrad
This special issue analyses and reflects on socio-technical futures as core elements in innovation processes and their governance. The special issue assembles twelve contributions that draw on several lines of research mobilizing concepts developed in science and technology studies, such as socio-technical imaginaries and the sociology of expectations, and technology assessment. The papers examine how socio-technical futures are constituted, change and unfold over time, shaped by different practices and in different contexts. Furthermore, they study how different socio-technical futures circulate amongst policy actors and others involved in the governance of innovations, how they shape the governance of innovations and the actual technologies and systems, and how forms of deliberative and reflective future-making can be integrated into policy and innovation processes.
The articles of the Special Section include:
Konrad, K., & Böhle, K. (2019). Socio-technical futures and the governance of innovation processes—An introduction to the special issue. Futures, 109, 101-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2019.03.003 open access
Egbert, S., & Paul, B. (2019). Preemptive „screening for malintent“: The future attribute screening technology (FAST) as a double future device. Futures, 109, 108-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.04.003
Cozza, M., Crevani, L., Hallin, A., & Schaeffer, J. (2019). Future ageing: Welfare technology practices for our future older selves. Futures, 109, 117-129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.03.011
Meyer, U. (2019). The emergence of an envisioned future. Sensemaking in the case of “Industrie 4.0” in Germany. Futures, 109, 130-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2019.03.001
Tarkkala, H., Helén, I., & Snell, K. (2019). From health to wealth: The future of personalized medicine in the making. Futures, 109, 142-152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.06.004
Hielscher, S., & Kivimaa, P. (2019). Governance through expectations: Examining the long-term policy relevance of smart meters in the United Kingdom. Futures, 109, 153-169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.06.016
Karhunmaa, K. (2019). Attaining carbon neutrality in Finnish parliamentary and city council debates. Futures, 109, 170-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.10.009 open access
Levenda, A. M., Richter, J., Miller, T., & Fisher, E. (2019). Regional sociotechnical imaginaries and the governance of energy innovations. Futures, 109, 181-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.03.001
Alvial-Palavicino, C., & Konrad, K. (2019). The rise of graphene expectations: Anticipatory practices in emergent nanotechnologies. Futures, 109, 192-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.10.008 open access
Schneider, C., & Lösch, A. (2019). Visions in assemblages: Future-making and governance in FabLabs. Futures, 109, 203-212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.08.003
Stemerding, D., Betten, W., Rerimassie, V., Robaey, Z., & Kupper, F. (2019). Future making and responsible governance of innovation in synthetic biology. Futures, 109, 213-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.11.005
Beumer, K., & Edelenbosch, R. (2019). Hybrid potato breeding: A framework for mapping contested socio-technical futures. Futures, 109, 227-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2019.01.004
Weber, K. M., Gudowsky, N., & Aichholzer, G. (2019). Foresight and technology assessment for the Austrian parliament — Finding new ways of debating the future of industry 4.0. Futures, 109, 240-251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2018.06.018
