The Problem of Many Hands: Climate Change as an Example

Poel, Ibo van de; Fahlquist, Jessica Nihlén; Doorn, Neelke; Zwart, Sjoerd D.; Royakkers, Lmm Lambèr

doi:10.1007/s11948-011-9276-0

Cited by 146 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Furthermore, they can interact with each other in unforeseeable ways and the actual use of any ICT technology or innovation often lies beyond the control of the innovator or researcher. This is caused, at least in part, by the "problem of many hands" [12,13]; the development of ICT, especially software, builds on past work which becomes embedded and can be impossible to extricate. It is therefore often impossible to draw causal chains from the actions of one person to a particular outcome.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovating Responsibly in ICT for Ageing: Drivers, Obstacles and Implementation

et al. 2017

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Abstract:Responsible research and innovation (RRI) is a nascent concept, promoted actively by the European Union and other policy makers around the world. Hitherto, this concept has been associated primarily with publicly funded activities but given the considerable proportion of research and innovation that is undertaken in the private sector, RRI will be rendered irrelevant unless it is adopted by industry. This paper introduces a private sector perspective of RRI, specifically that of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, working in the field of healthy ageing. Drawing upon empirical data from 30 in-depth interviews with key industry representatives from across Europe, it explores: (a) the level of awareness of RRI; (b) the drivers and obstacles influencing its implementation; and (c) the factors deemed vital for facilitation of RRI in industry. The findings paint a varied picture, including significant concerns about adoption of RRI in an industry environment where the economic implications of all activities must be considered carefully. However, some companies have found their own ways to balance financial and altruistic goals, suggesting that there is both a willingness and a place for an RRI-type governance framework within the private sector.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Innovating Responsibly in ICT for Ageing: Drivers, Obstacles and Implementation

et al. 2017

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“…Through use of existing ICT infrastructures, a researcher or innovator can devise new applications that have the potential to go viral and become available worldwide within an extremely short timescale. Secondly, the "problem of many hands" [42] stems from the issue that the development of ICTs is cumulative; new ICT developments often build upon and incorporate existing technologies. This is most visible in software where new code is built upon already existing codes.…”

Section: Ethical and Societal Risks Associated With Randi In Ictmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Investigation into Risk Perception in the ICT Industry as a Core Component of Responsible Research and Innovation

et al. 2017

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This paper makes an original contribution to the responsible research and innovation (RRI) discourse, with an inquiry into the extent to which risk, risk assessment, or risk management, including ethical and social issues, is relevant to companies. As a core component of the higher or "meta-responsibility" of RRI, an investigation of practices and attitudes towards risks can provide us with a window into companies' attitudes towards responsible innovation that is rooted in real-world experiences. Drawing upon data from 30 in-depth interviews and a large Delphi study, we reveal different underlying attitudes towards risk governance for individuals working in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry. For some companies, there is already an obvious degree of alignment with RRI values. For others, framing of the RRI discourse in terms of ethical and societal risks may help to promote understanding and uptake. Results from the interviews suggest that lack of awareness of the full extent of ethical and societal risks associated with research and innovation in the ICT industry may act as a barrier to engagement with RRI, and educational activities may be needed to rectify this situation. Results from the Delphi survey suggest that when presented with simple information about potential ethical and societal risks, industry personnel can easily recognise the main risks and provide clear opinions about how they should be addressed. The relationship between risk governance and RRI warrants further investigation as it is an essential facet of RRI.

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“…In particular, we showed that it was unclear who was to be held accountable for Karnataka's biofuel policy, a result of both lobbying and policy-writing by researchers and the final policy proclamation by politicians. This situation can be characterised as a 'many hands problem' (Van de Poel et al 2012), where many parties are involved in a decision yet none of them can reasonably be held individually responsible for its consequences. Without a clear demarcation of responsibilities, one may also encounter accountability problems as it is not always clear who, if anyone, should be held accountable for particular problems (Balkema and Pols 2015;Setiawan and Singh 2015;Voeten et al 2014).…”

Section: Stakeholder Involvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limits to responsible innovation

Hoop

Pols

Romijn

2016

Journal of Responsible Innovation

102

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Responsible Innovation (RI) is a young field of research that has nevertheless had remarkable successes in dissemination within academic and political circles. However, there is relatively little awareness of its limits, blind spots and situations in which it cannot be used for actual innovation trajectories. Without such awareness, there is a risk that RI may get hollowed out and turned into a tool for 'greenwashing'. To examine RI's limits, we present a case study on biofuel innovation in Hassan, South India. This case study demonstrates that there are important barriers that may make it difficult to conduct innovation according to RI values. In particular, we highlight the following factors that emerge from our case study and need more attention in order to be included and adequately theorised in the RI literature: material barriers to innovation, engagement with abandoning or reducing existing practices as a consequence of innovation, power differences and dependencies, (un)clear demarcation of responsibilities, strategic behaviour and, lastly, different, diverging and even contradictory interests. We demonstrate that such factors may obstruct the possibility to innovate in a responsible way, leading us to our core observation that RI should be about innovating responsibly -or not innovating at all. ARTICLE HISTORY

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The Problem of Many Hands: Climate Change as an Example

Cited by 146 publications

References 36 publications

Innovating Responsibly in ICT for Ageing: Drivers, Obstacles and Implementation

Innovating Responsibly in ICT for Ageing: Drivers, Obstacles and Implementation

An Investigation into Risk Perception in the ICT Industry as a Core Component of Responsible Research and Innovation

Limits to responsible innovation

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