TY - JOUR
T1 - A sociology of technology governance for the information age
T2 - The case of pharmaceuticals, consumer advertising and the internet
AU - Fox, Nick
AU - Ward, Katie
AU - O'Rourke, Alan
PY - 2006/4/1
Y1 - 2006/4/1
N2 - In a civil society, the governance of technology is a matter of law and regulation, but also of responsibility and accountability, within which issues of public safety and security must be balanced against individual and collective rights. Within sociology, studies have not fully examined the complexity of how governance is achieved, and how environmental changes may threaten governance systems. This article explores the negotiated character of technology governance in a case study of consumerism and the pharmaceutical industry. This industry is highly regulated, but, in the information age, traditional patterns of governance are challenged, and new strategic alliances between stakeholders may emerge. Using qualitative approaches, we explore the emergent governance processes, and conclude that governance is a dynamic process, forever breaking down and being reinvented to address societal changes. We suggest that this theoretical framework and methodology can form the basis for a productive sociology of governance.
AB - In a civil society, the governance of technology is a matter of law and regulation, but also of responsibility and accountability, within which issues of public safety and security must be balanced against individual and collective rights. Within sociology, studies have not fully examined the complexity of how governance is achieved, and how environmental changes may threaten governance systems. This article explores the negotiated character of technology governance in a case study of consumerism and the pharmaceutical industry. This industry is highly regulated, but, in the information age, traditional patterns of governance are challenged, and new strategic alliances between stakeholders may emerge. Using qualitative approaches, we explore the emergent governance processes, and conclude that governance is a dynamic process, forever breaking down and being reinvented to address societal changes. We suggest that this theoretical framework and methodology can form the basis for a productive sociology of governance.
KW - Consumption
KW - Governance
KW - Internet
KW - Pharmaceutical drugs
KW - Technology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33645558209&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0038038506062035
DO - 10.1177/0038038506062035
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:33645558209
VL - 40
SP - 315
EP - 334
JO - Sociology
JF - Sociology
SN - 0038-0385
IS - 2
ER -