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Deep transitions: a mixed methods study of the historical evolution of mass production

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posted on 2023-06-10, 02:29 authored by Laur Kanger, Frederique Bone, Daniele RotoloDaniele Rotolo, Ed Steinmueller, Johan Schot
Industrial societies contain a range of socio-technical systems fulfilling functions such as the provision of energy, food, mobility, housing, healthcare, finance and communications. The recent Deep Transitions (DT) framework outlines a series of propositions on how the multi-system co-evolution over 250 years of these systems has contributed to several current social and ecological crises. Drawing on evolutionary institutionalism, the DT framework places a special emphasis on the concepts of ‘rules’ and ‘meta-rules’ as coordination mechanisms within and across socio-technical systems. In this paper, we employ a mixed-method approach to provide an empirical assessment of the propositions of the DT framework. We focus on the historical evolution of mass production from the 18th century to the present. Combining a qualitative narrative based on a synthesis of secondary historical literature with a quantitative text mining-based analysis of the corpus of Scientific American (1845–2019), we map the emergence and alignment of rules underpinning mass production. Our study concludes by reflecting on important methodological lessons for the application of text mining techniques to examine large-scale and long-term socio-technical dynamics.

Funding

Deep Transitions; G2184; BAILLIE GIFFORD & CO LTD; James Anderson

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Technological Forecasting and Social Change

ISSN

0040-1625

Publisher

Elsevier

Volume

177

Page range

1-24

Article number

a121491

Pages

121491.0

Department affiliated with

  • SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications

Notes

Unmapped bibliographic data: DA - 2022/04/01/ [EPrints field already has value set] JO - Technological Forecasting and Social Change [Field not mapped to EPrints]

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2022-01-31

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2022-02-15

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2022-01-29

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