Politique de recherche sur les conséquences sociales des NTI aux USA Texte présenté par  Jean MICHEL  le 3 Septembre 1997

NSF - Information Technology, Culture, and Social Institutions / Programme de recherche
A toutes fins utiles, je fais circuler ce long message qui a trait à l'appel à propositions lancé par la NSF (National Science Foundation) aux USA pour des recherches et travaux relatifs aux conséquences des technologies de l'information sur la culture et sur les organisations.
Il est intéressant de voir la liste des thèmes retenus, comme de voir aussi les montants qui sont prévus.
A quand de tels programmes publics d'aide à la recherche sur ces thèmes en France ou en Europe?
Jean MICHEL

Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 13:48:24 -0400
From: splattne@nsf.gov
People should be aware of a special funding opportunity at NSF about information technology, culture and social institutions.
Here is the flier. Also see our webpage at www.nsf.gov/sbe/sber/anthro

The development of information technologies and new types of digital content in all aspects of society has far exceeded our understanding about how these new technologies have reshaped social organization, work life, interaction patterns and culture.
In response to this shortcoming, the Computer, Information Science, and Engineering directorate (CISE) and the Social,
Behavioral, and Economic Sciences directorate (SBE) as well as the Education and Human Resources directorate (EHR) are encouraging multidisciplinary proposals for research at the interface of behavioral and social science, education research and information technology. Proposals may be submitted on standard forms (see the Grant Proposal Guide, NSF 95-27) to existing programs (see the Guide to Programs NSF 95-138) as this notice calls attention to existing funding opportunities.

The proposed research should aim to advance our understanding of how information technologies shape and are shaped by the cognitive, social and cultural dimensions of groups, organizations, institutions, and societies. The driving force for
this interaction is the widespread proliferation of distributed computing with vastly increased processing, communications, and storage capabilities. Research should seek to understand the impact of new forms of digital content and communications accessible to wide segments of society as well as national and global institutions such as nation states, multinational corporations and financial institutions. The methodological approach should be appropriate to the unit of analysis and research questions. For example, a study of the impact on culture might focus on understanding how people learn about and use information technology in real-life situations, or on the interacting technological, social, and organizational factors that facilitate or impede productive use and learning. A study of the impact of information technology on nation states might focus on the changing nature of sovereignty. Especially welcome are proposals that aim to develop general explanations, through grounded theory or other empirical approaches. Social science contributions to the design of systems affecting large segments of the population are also welcome. Examples include cognitive, cultural, economic, ethical, interpersonal, political, sociological and spatial factors that should be incorporated into systems designed for ordinary citizens.

We are interested in a broad range of studies on the behavioral, social and cultural dimensions of new information technologies.
For example, some possible research topics are listed below:
Ethnographic studies of how information technologies legitimize people's identification with communities, and how
human-computer dynamics in work-places structure the work process to affect productivity.

Studies that examine economic institutions and organizations, including organizational structure; the links between technology, agent interaction, and productivity in firms and other organizations; and the impact of information technology on the co-evolution of economic institutions and cultural norms.

Labor market issues related to information technology, including its impact on income distribution, labor force
participation, investments in education and training, family structure and the allocation of resources within the family.

Research on the productivity paradox. Economists continue to argue about why increases in U.S. productivity have remained sluggish despite large private sector investments in information technology. What empirical research particularly at the sectoral level could shed light on this issue?

Research on the changing roles of key institutions. Information and communications technologies will create both threats and opportunities for existing organizations. For example, some universities may be able to serve non-traditional students
(e.g.,. adult student who can't attend an universities full-time) by expanding distance learning services. Others may lose
students and tuition to "virtual universities" or publishers that can offer courses at a lower cost per credit hour. Some have
suggested that the functions of the university (administration, degree-granting, instruction, physical facility) will be
"unbundled" How are key organizations responding to IT-related challenges and opportunities and what theoretical principles explain the change?

Studies of the spatial and geographical implications and behavior associated with the spread and use of information
technologies.

Research to develop theories, methods, concepts, and principles that provide foundations for making large-scale, collaborative, content-rich applications effective in practice in their organizational and social contexts.

Research that examines the operation, impacts, and usage patterns of organization-scale computing, content, and
collaboration technologies with the aim of feeding back resulting knowledge into new technologies and new approaches toward integrating them in context.

Research that examines the use of digital library resources in education, science, and technology. How does the immediacy and richness of digital libraries and their associated tools change the nature of research and education? How does the social conduct of science change and how can these changes best be accommodated?

Studies of the research, design, development and implementation processes that bring new information technologies into existence, and the influence of such technologies on creativity, productivity, and social life in a variety of settings, including
schools, work places, and homes.

Research on how the cognitive capacities of humans interact with information technologies to facilitate or inhibit their use.

Research to examine and evaluate ethical norms in the development and use of new information and communication
technologies.

Research on the roles that these technologies may play in social, cultural, political and economic conflict, for example
strengthening the competitive position of some groups at the expense of others, or providing new arenas in which some human beings may exert power over others.

Research to facilitate the development of laws and law-like rules regulating access to, use of, and outcomes of using
information technology.

Research on the impact of cultures and subcultures on the institutionalization and integration of information technology as
an agent of change (for example, in schools and other workplaces.

Research that examines the impact of information technology on quality and overall performance in organizations, e.g. through better integration with customers, process improvement, or better coordination of organizational subunits.

Planning grants of $20,000 - $50,000 for 12-18 months are available to assist in the preparation of multidisciplinary
proposals that might require collaboration between social and behavioral scientists and their counterparts in computer science and engineering. For example, social scientists may want to work with researchers in large, multidisciplinary NSF-funded projects focusing on information technologies such as the digital libraries, collaboratories, partnerships for advanced computing infrastructure (PACI), very high-performance network services (vBNS), Engineering Research Centers, and Science and Technology Centers. (see www.nsf.gov, www.cise.nsf.gov and www.eng.nsf.gov)

Other examples of possible research in the area of information technology and culture can be found in the workshop report "Culture, Society and Advanced Information Technology", available from the Computing Research Association (info@cra.org, fax: (202) 667-1066) or from the American Anthropological Association (peggy@mhs.compuserve.com, fax: (703) 528-3546), and on the World Wide Web at http://cra.org/Reports/Aspects/.

The foundation hopes to make about 10 awards in FY 1998 whose average duration is about 2-3 years and whose average total award size is $50,000 - $500,000, subject to available funds and proposals of high scientific merit.

*****************************************************************************
Prof. Jean MICHEL
Conseiller du Directeur / Adviser to the Director
ENPC, Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees
28, rue des Saints-Peres
75343 PARIS CEDEX 07
Tel: 01 44 58 28 67 International: +33 1 44 58 28 67
Fax: 01 44 58 28 68 International: +33 1 44 58 28 68
e-mail: michel-j@paris.enpc.fr
http://wwwparis.enpc.fr/~michel-j/INDEX.html
http://www.enpc.fr