Institutional Theory and Large Technical Systems

Session Submission Type: Traditional (Closed) Panel

Abstract

In studies of large technical systems, models of social constructionism have emphasized agency over structure. Agency-related concepts like actor networks, interpretive flexibility, and system builders have remained influential for years. There have been calls for greater emphasis on structural approaches. Klein and Kleinman’s “The social construction of technology: Structural considerations” (2002, Science, Technology & Human Values) reviewed structural theories in sociology and argued for their relevance to STS research. Despite being widely cited, the article’s impact on STS research has been limited, with few of the citations in the flagship journal Science Technology & Human Values. The literature on large technical systems has explored structural and institutional concepts. Perhaps most notable here is the edited volume, The Governance of Large Technical Systems (Coutard, 2002) which brings an institutional perspective. However, this work, like other such edited volumes, has emphasized richly descriptive case studies over theoretical considerations. This open panel calls for research on structural studies of large technical systems that emphasize institutional theory. We invite papers that draw on such works as the institutional theory of Elinor Ostrom, regime theory from international affairs, and policy models of federalist and constitutional structures. The goal is to promote discussion among scholars sharing a common interest in the role of institutions in large technical systems but drawing on a variety of theoretical models.

Sub Unit

• 4S Annual Meeting

Chair

• Hans Klein, Georgia Tech, School of Public Policy

Individual Presentations

• Governance Institutions and Large Technical Systems - Hans Klein, Georgia Tech, School of Public Policy

• Artifact as Product: Google and Google Car at the Intersection of Social and Material Networks - John Paul Lunsford, Cornell University, Department of Communication

• Social and Data Design Aspects of the Inter-Institutional Justice and Peace Information System in Colombia - Javier Jimenez Becerra; Jorge Rojas Alvarez

• A Political and Technological Anatomy of a Mobile Phone Crack - Niels Jorgensen

• Institutions and Infrastructures: Audience Manufacture and the Making of a Market - Lee McGuigan, University of Pennsylvania