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An exciting challenge to how the internet and ICT have been understood in academia and popular culture and shows how important 'cultural' assumptions are in how we understand technology. The Internet, Power and Society argues that the way in which we view technology such as the internet owes much to older, historic views of the media and to 'issues' in contemporary society. Such perspectives are deeply rooted in a Western view of technology and the book concludes by offering a radically new perspective as to how the internet can change a society that is truly global in its application.

Social change --- Internet --- Social change. --- Social aspects. --- Changement social --- Social aspects --- Aspect social

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Abstract: This working paper is based both on literature review and interviews to key informants and stakeholders from or active in the region conducted in the framework of various initiatives: research projects, peer-learning activities, support to networks, policy makers and entrepreneurs. These initiatives have been leading us to connect with the SSE ecosystems in the area called “Southern Neighbourhood” in a European (centric?) perspective. The rationale behind this exercise is an attempt to share a light on the state of play of the public policies and international initiatives bound to support the social and green economies showcasing some examples we consider particularly relevant.

Entreprises d'économie sociale et solidaire. --- Changement social. --- Transition écologique. --- Moyen-Orient. --- Afrique du Nord.

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Abstract: "Digitalisation and other advanced technologies are increasingly reshaping our economy, including social economy enterprises. Disruptive technologies can inspire the social economy and vice versa. Blockchain for instance carries an intrinsic decentralisation approach that could have many implications for services and generate a high social added value through traceability, fair pricing, commonly recognised and verified standards and democratization of access to services and products in all societies and areas." - Ms Ulla Engelmann, Head of Unit for Advanced Technologies, Social Economy and Clusters, European Commission, DG Grow. In the first two decades of the new century digital technologies have started to reshape work, leisure, behaviour, health, education, money, governance, and other aspects of human life. As people and businesses start using digital appliances for all kinds of interaction, an increasing amount of communication and value exchange shifts to the digital realm. This megatrend holds many promises to spur innovation, generate efficiencies, and improve services, and in doing so boost more inclusive and sustainable growth. But these technologies also tend to disrupt traditional ways to organize our economy and society, entailing important consequences for people, organisations and markets, and raise important issues around jobs and skills, privacy, security . We use the term digital transformation to describe these social, cultural, and economic changes resulting from digital innovations, and identify four socio-technological areas in which people are particularly affected by this transformation: work and income goods and services, money and finance, and state and governance. Digital platforms and blockchains (and other distributed ledger technology) are two of the most impactful technologies. Because of the astonishing possibilities these technologies offer, observers regularly fathom that it is not only unfeasible but also undesirable to ‘stop’ the digital transformation. Rather, it is argued that digital technologies and their impacts must be actively managed and leveraged to ensure their alignment with people-centred development and sustainability. In this context, a growing number of social economy innovations aim to create an internet and digital appliances that put individual users and society first. Social economy enterprises and organizations are either based on participatory governance where users are ultimately in (partial) control over the platform/technology, or bound by a statutory purpose asserting the priority of social and environmental goals before financial returns. The digital social economy innovations discussed in this paper aim to realize this vision in the four areas undergoing digital transformation. Our analysis is informed by insights from the workshop organised by Diesis on “Blockchain, digital social innovation and social economy. The future is here!”, as well as case studies elaborated in close collaboration with various digital social economy enterprises. The study finds a vivid variety of digital social economy enterprises, and important potential for further applications of social economy principles in the digital realm. Yet the realization of this potential depends on whether these enterprises manage the critical challenge to achieve sustainable and user-centred growth. We therefore conclude with a discussion of this challenge and some recommendations for policy, organization and entrepreneurship. Keywords: Social Economy, Social Enterprise, Cooperative Platform, Blockchain, Social Innovation, Sustainable Development, Digitalisation. JEL Codes: L31, O33, O35

Entreprises d'économie sociale et solidaire. --- Économie sociale et solidaire. --- Économie collaborative. --- Blockchains. --- Changement social. --- Développement durable. --- Société numérique.

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This edited collection is a contribution to the emerging field of oral history research in the post-socialist societies of Central Europe and former Soviet Union, and demonstrates what oral history can contribute to the changing nature of post-socialist social sciences.

History --- Oral history --- Social change --- Histoire orale --- Changement social --- Research --- Recherche --- Europe, Eastern --- Europe de l'Est --- Economic conditions --- Social conditions --- Historiography. --- Conditions économiques --- Conditions sociales --- Historiographie

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What is a small country? Is a country small because of the size of its territory or its population? Can smallness be relative, based on the subjective perception of a country's inhabitants or in comparison with one's neighbors? How does smallness, however it is defined, shape a country and its relations with other countries? Answers to these questions, among others, can be found in Small Countries, the first and only anthropological study of smallness as a defining variable. In terms of population size, some two thirds of the countries of the world can now be considered small countries, and they can be found in all world regions except North America and East Asia. They exhibit great diversity with regard to culture, history, and institutional arrangements, so there can be no model of any "typical" small country. Yet the essays collected by Ulf Hannerz and Andre Gingrich identify a range of family resemblances in such areas as internal connectivity and sensibilities of identity. Contributors describe a number of similar problems with which small countries must cope, on domestic levels as well as in their transnational and global encounters. For some small countries, challenges such as media organization and branding have a negative impact on real or perceived vulnerability, while for others, the same challenges facilitate success stories. Comparative case studies cover a diverse set of regions, including the Caribbean, Middle East, Africa, and Europe, and employ diverse anthropological approaches. Tacit assumptions about scale, identities, and networks in everyday social life are best revealed through close, interpretive effort. At times a sense of shared belonging comes to the fore with particular events, such as a national crisis or an unexpected success in international sports, offering scope for situational analyses. In showing how small countries confront globalization, Small Countries reveals how the sense of scale intensifies when the world as a whole shrinks

Social sciences (general) --- States, Small --- Group identity --- Social change --- National characteristics --- Petits Etats --- Identité collective --- Changement social --- Caractéristiques nationales --- Case studies. --- Études de cas --- Cas, Etudes de --- Etudes de cas --- Developing countries --- Pays en développement