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The Art of Fact in the Digital Age: An Anthology of New Literary Journalism
The Art of Fact in the Digital Age is a showcase of the most powerful and moving journalism of the past 25 years. Selections include stories originally published in established bastions of literary journalism (The New York Times, The Atlantic and The New Yorker), as well as those from specialized and online publications (Runner's World, The Atavist). It features writers of extraordinary style (including Carina del Valle Schorske, Brian Phillips, and Jia Tolentino), as well as those who have profoundly influenced public discourse on the 21st century's most urgent issues: Mitchell S. Jackson, Clint Smith, and Ta-Nehisi Coates on race; Susan Dominus and Luke Mogelson on migration; and Kathryn Schulz and David Wallace-Wells on environmental threats. It even includes one story that expanded literary journalism's repertoire into audio (This American Life). This collection, assembled for students, scholars, and practitioners alike, also charts the evolution of digital longform journalism through its greatest achievements, from transitioning readers to screens to the integration of multimedia with words in service of meaning. The art of fact in the 21st century opened new ranges of expression to address such issues, while uniquely bearing the imprint of their generation's digital cultures and technologies. Although many forces compete for attention in the digital age, story triumphs. The works in this anthology show us why.
Artificial Justice (Oxford Technology Law and Policy)
by Tatiana DancyImagine that Eric, a young man, has been convicted of a gang-related crime: he was found by police at the scene of a robbery carried out by his friends. The sentencing judge now needs to make a decision. Not knowing whether Eric poses a risk to the public, she turns to an algorithmic risk assessment - a set of rules, developed on the basis of correlations between individual characteristics and criminal activity, which predicts the likelihood of recidivism. Eric is a conscientious citizen, who has never before been in trouble with the law. However, he was raised in foster care, in an area with high rates of crime, poverty, and residential instability- facts to which the algorithm attributes a high risk score. The judge recommends a sentence of the maximum possible duration, with extended post-release supervision. Why does this matter? The answer most often given is that it matters because of inequality, captured through the language of 'bias' or 'discrimination': the effect of using algorithms can be to exacerbate unjustified differences between people, on the basis of considerations such as race, sex, or socio-economic circumstance. Using a diverse set of case studies, and making clear policy recommendations along the way, Artificial Justice unpacks the reasons that we might have to object to the use of statistical algorithms to allocate the burdens of policy decisions. It argues that these reasons extend beyond egalitarian concerns. Importantly, they include reasons that stem from the value of individual choice - of having the chance to affect what happens to us by choosing appropriately and being equipped to exercise those choices well. The book explores the substantive reasons that contribute to a picture of what's at stake for individuals when we use statistical algorithms to make decisions about how to treat others, and makes robust policy recommendations about the scope and nature of human-algorithm interaction. Artificial Justice is a compelling and accessible text, which offers a great deal to a wide and interdisciplinary audience of academics, students, and those otherwise interested in learning about algorithmic justice.
Athens and the War on Public Space: Tracing a City in Crisis (PDF)
by Klara Jaya Brekke Christos Filippidis Antonis VradisSometimes, the maelstrom of a crisis can be captured in a single image. The image of the mundane, barely noticeable movement of an urban dweller as they go about their everyday life. Athens and the War on Public Space commences from images just like this one, collected over a two-year period of research (2012–2014) in the Greek capital city. These images, gathered by a team of artist-researchers working to trace and study crisis-ridden urban public spaces in Athens, Greece, create a visual timeline for navigating through all that happened over those two troubled years. The resulting catalog shows how images of shipwrecks and disaster were used to harden anti-migratory policies, and how these exact policies then helped to foster the hatred that spilled onto the streets of Athens, in the form of racist attacks. Athens and the War on Public Space further outlines the violence inherent in the images of silent commuters going about daily life despite the catastrophe, caught in the freeze-frame of inaction as the world around them changes beyond recognition. The carefully curated images show how the crisis was quite literally played out in the city of Athens, especially vis-a-vis its performative construction in the images of anti-migratory policies, state repression, and their material, grave consequences. Athens and the War on Public Space is ultimately a collective portrait of a city caught in the whirlwind of crisis. The book is a compilation of work done during the larger Crisis-Scape project. The team comprised Klara Jaya Brekke, Dimitris Dalakoglou, Ross Domoney, Christos Filippidis, and Antonis Vradis.
Audiences of Nazism: Using Media in the Third Reich (New German Historical Perspectives #13)
Through its focus on audiences and their reception of media in Nazi Germany, Audiences of Nazism inverts the typical top-down perspective employed in studies that concentrate on the regime’s regulation of media and propaganda. It thereby sheds new light on the complex character of the period’s media, their uses, and the scope for audience interpretation. Contributors investigate how consumers either appropriated or ignored certain messages of Nazi propaganda, and how some even participated in its production. The authors ground their studies on novel historical sources, including private diaries and letters, photographs and films, and concert programs, which demonstrate, amongst other things, how audiences interpreted and responded to regulated news, Nazi Party rallies, and the regime’s denunciation of modern works of art as ‘degenerate.’
Audiences of Nazism: Using Media in the Third Reich (New German Historical Perspectives #13)
by Ulrike WeckelThrough its focus on audiences and their reception of media in Nazi Germany, Audiences of Nazism inverts the typical top-down perspective employed in studies that concentrate on the regime’s regulation of media and propaganda. It thereby sheds new light on the complex character of the period’s media, their uses, and the scope for audience interpretation. Contributors investigate how consumers either appropriated or ignored certain messages of Nazi propaganda, and how some even participated in its production. The authors ground their studies on novel historical sources, including private diaries and letters, photographs and films, and concert programs, which demonstrate, amongst other things, how audiences interpreted and responded to regulated news, Nazi Party rallies, and the regime’s denunciation of modern works of art as ‘degenerate.’
Bollypolitics: Popular Hindi Cinema and Hindutva (World Cinema)
by Ajay GehlawatThis book provides an in-depth exploration of the evolving landscape of Bollywood cinema in response to recent socio-political changes in India, including a surge in sectarian violence and the ascent of Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Through a comprehensive analysis of prominent filmmakers and actors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Kangana Ranaut, Akshay Kumar, and Anupam Kher, Ajay Gehlawat investigates the extent to which their recent works align with key tenets of the Hindutva movement. He scrutinizes the growing influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on film production, manifesting in collaborations covering diverse themes, from Modi's Clean India initiative to the nation's space exploration endeavors and grand historical epics such as Padmaavat (2018) and Manikarnika (2019) that seek to reshape Indian history in line with Hindutva ideology.Gehlawat goes on to dissect smaller budget films like Article 15 (2019) and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020), which tackle pressing social issues like caste-based violence and homophobia exacerbated by the surge in right-wing extremism in India. In doing so, he elucidates the profound and far-reaching impact of Hindutva ideology on Indian cinematic narratives and aesthetics, while also considering the broader implications for Indian society as a whole.
The Book in the Jewish World, 1700-1900 (The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization)
by Zeev GriesThis book offers the reader a voyage in the new world that opened up to the enlightened Jewish reader of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a time when the first glimmerings of emancipation and secular education were giving large numbers of Jews their first exposure to science, literature, and art, and opening their minds to new ideas. And as on any voyage led by a knowledgeable guide, there are fascinating side-trips along the way: insights into the world of scholarship, then and now, and into the nature of knowledge. All this was happening at a time when Jews’ civil status and place in society was undergoing great change in Europe. In this seminal work, Zeev Gries shows that although the history of the book in the Jewish world has long been regarded as the province of librarians and bibliophiles, it is in fact the history of the Jewish intellect. He starts by tracing the awakening of a dormant Jewish intelligentsia—men, women, and children who were thirsty for knowledge. Books were the magic kiss that opened new doors to the modern world; within a century, Jews were making invaluable contributions to the advancement of science and of culture more generally. By surveying the literary output of those years, the author is able to discover what books were being published, where they were published and distributed, and who was reading them. He surveys the fields of halakhic literature, ethical literature, kabbalistic and mystical literature, literature for children and women, and more general literature. He talks about the role of libraries and of book reviews. Above all, he considers the role of books as agents of culture: were they guardians of hallowed sanctity or harbingers of secularization? Gries shows how the types of books favoured by the Jewish reading public offer an insight into the changing nature of their ‘portable homeland’. He then goes on to discuss the Haskalah movement and the tensions between increasing secularization and the more traditional world-view, as well as how the resurrection of Hebrew as a secular literary language contributed to the awakening of Jewish nationalism. Nevertheless, he argues that the study of literary history of the period reveals that secular and Zionist leanings were not the only trends present; Jewish literature continued to be permeated with the spirit of religion.
Christians and Moors in Spain, Volume I: AD 711-1150 (Aris & Phillips Hispanic Classics)
by Colin SmithThis volume gathers together extracts from texts in Latin, Hispanic vernaculars, and French, concerning the relations of the Christians and Moors in Spain in the first four hundred years of their co-existence in the Peninsula. An effort has been made to illustrate aspects other than the exclusively military. The texts are both historical and 'literary' (this distinction not being one that the medieval mind would make) and in both prose and verse; they are arranged in order of the events to which they refer, not by date of composition. The purpose is to make these texts available in a form not previously attempted, to all who are interested in this fascinating period, but may be unable to read the original languages or may not have access to the published sources. Each text has a facing translation and introductory section with notes on the background and on textual difficulties. There is also a general introduction and a short booklist.
Cockney Rhyming Slang
by Shelley KleinHave you ever been lost for words in the East End markets? Ever got your Gertie Gitanas (bananas) confused with your corns and bunions (onions) and it's all gone a bit Pete Tong (wrong)? Cockney Rhyming Slang is a quick, easy-to-use guide to some of the most frequently used, up-to-date as well as old-fashioned phrases.Including: 'apples and pears' - stairs 'Barnet Fair' - hair 'sausage and mash' - crash 'bubble bath' - laugh 'Britney Spears' - beers 'has beens' - greens 'dig a grave' - shaveAn entertaining collection that explains the ever-evolving dialect of London's East End, with Cockney Rhyming Slang you'll be conversing with the street traders of the East End with no Barney Rubble (trouble).
Conflict and Creativity at Work: Human Roots of Corporate Life
by Albert LowContributes to the tide of activism that is calling for higher ethical standards and corporate social responsibility within the corporate world. It offers a new way to look at a company, work, a product and company organization. Nobel prizewinner Milton Friedman says that the only social responsibility a company has is to make a profit. Albert Low questions this basic assumption and provides an alternative view: a company is a complex field of interacting and conflicting forces out of which a product emerges. The interests of the stockholder make up just one set of these forces. The corporate system arises out of the natural creativity of human beings and is expressed in the work that we do. Therefore to understand a company, its organisation and its reason for being, we must understand creativity and work -- what they involve, and their importance to our mental health. This new understanding of social responsibility is imperative for the very survival of our way of life. 'Business Ethics' quotes Thomas Donahue, US Chamber of Commerce President, as saying, "There is something fundamentally out of balance when short-term considerations become so dominant." The book offers a new way to look at the corporate system and long-term corporate social responsibility. Depression is widespread throughout western society. A contributing factor is the way the corporate system operates. People are now adjuncts to the system and the result is alienation and impotence. China and India are looming as major industrial competitors, and their employees are very well motivated. To compete in the West we must revise the present antiquated corporate philosophy that asserts that the interests of the stockholder are the only interests that the corporation can legally serve and adopt policies that promote corporate social responsibility.
Contrastive Corpus Linguistics: Patterns in Lexicogrammar and Discourse (Corpus and Discourse)
Marking 30 years of contrastive corpus linguistics, this volume provides a state-of-the-art of the field, charting its development over time and expanding the boundaries of the discipline. Focusing on a diversity of methods and approaches to language comparison, it uses both comparable and translation corpora, and explores a broad range of language registers from newspaper reporting and spoken political discourse to film scripts and football match reports. Using English as the pivot language for each chapter, the volume offers contrastive bilingual and trilingual perspectives on a number of languages, including Czech, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish, covering a typologically diverse field. By exploring the application of complex multi-genre multilingual data sets and expanding the horizons of contrastive studies, it demonstrates how a juxtaposition of cross-linguistic and register variation can deepen our insight into language variation and use.The volume is dedicated to two prominent contrastive corpus linguists: Karin Aijmer and Bengt Altenberg, who have decisively shaped the discipline from its very beginnings. The book opens with a chapter by Aijmer, reflecting on the current breadth and future prospects of research in the area while pointing to emergent trends with an insight that only she can offer.
Coping with Speech Anxiety (Communication and Information Science)
by Joe Ayres Tim HopfGrounded in cognitive, affective, and behavioral elements, speech anxiety is a serious problem for a large number of people and has been found to affect career development as well as academic performance. This book presents intervention procedures that have been developed to help people cope with anxiety associated with each of these sources.
Critical and Historical Essays -- Volume 1
by Baron Thomas Babington Macaulay MacaulayCritical and Historical Essays: Contributed to the Edinburgh Review (1843) is a collection of articles by Thomas Babington Macaulay, later Lord Macaulay. They have been acclaimed for their readability, but criticized for their inflexible attachment to the attitudes of the Whig school of history.
Critical Perspectives on Cybersecurity: Feminist and Postcolonial Interventions (Oxford Studies in Gender and International Relations)
Traditional notions of national security have generally dominated cybersecurity debates, but the response to emerging cybersecurity issues should not merely focus on the militarization of cyberspace. Weaponizing a space heavily populated by civilians has enormous implications for human rights. Yet, cybersecurity studies in international relations have largely overlooked the impact of cybersecurity policies on individuals and communities--including the consequences of surveillance, data overcollection, cybercrime, and cyberbullying. Critical Perspectives on Cybersecurity offers a new approach to understanding cybersecurity in international relations. As a counterpoint to existing work, which focuses largely on the security of states, private actors, and infrastructure, chapter authors examine how women and communities across the Global South understand "cybersecurity," including what threats and forms of resistance are most important to them. They make the case that policies need to consider individual human rights by putting people's empowerment and wellbeing at their center. Drawing on feminist and postcolonial theory, the chapters also cover issues that challenge conventional notions of cybersecurity, including disinformation, gender-based violence online, and technology as a neocolonial force. Bringing together contributions from a globally diverse range of authors, Anwar Mhajne and Alexis Henshaw provide a human security perspective on cybersecurity that pays attention to the interplay of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and other social hierarchies, especially regarding cybersecurity in the Global South.
Data-Driven Campaigning and Political Parties: Five Advanced Democracies Compared (Journalism and Political Communication Unbound)
by Katharine Dommett Glenn Kefford Simon KruschinskiWhat is data-driven campaigning? According to prevailing accounts, this idea describes the rise of increasingly sophisticated, highly targeted, and often invasive uses of data deployed to suppress votes, manipulate voter preferences, or boost a candidates' popularity. The power of data is seen to be transforming campaigning practice and raising democratic concerns. And yet, there is a significant problem with these ideas: we have at best a partial understanding of how data-driven campaigning is practiced, and limited clarity about its implications. Presenting data from interviews with over 300 professional campaigners in Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK and US, we provide unique insight into the components of data-driven campaigning by political parties. This book makes three key contributions. First, distinguishing between data, analytics, technology and personnel, they give unmatched descriptive insight into these four components of data-driven campaigning, revealing significant variation in its operationalization, depending on party and country context. Second, introducing a novel multi-level theoretical framework, they isolate systemic, regulatory, and party level variables that help explain the reasons for these differences. Third, they consider the implications of their findings for debates about democracy, data and technology in the 21st century. Cumulatively, these contributions reveal that data-driven campaigning is not inherently problematic. Giving voice to practitioner perspectives, through interviews and innovative vignettes, this book recasts the debate around data-driven campaigning, offering important lessons for scholars, campaigners, and policymakers alike.
Data Protection as a Corporate Social Responsibility
by Paolo Balboni Kate FrancisThis progressive book critically analyses the current state of data protection enforcement and proposes a new auditable framework of practical guidelines to contribute to a more sustainable data-driven future.In outlining the debates relating to current data protection structures, Paolo Balboni and Kate Elizabeth Francis argue that legislation alone cannot sufficiently protect individuals’ fundamental rights and freedoms, and instead consider the pressing need for a more ethical approach to data protection. They present the Maastricht University Data Protection as a Corporate Social Responsibility Framework (UM-DPCSR Framework), outlining not only its features, but also how it can fill the gap left by the inadequacies of a merely legal approach to data protection. Balboni and Francis persuasively call on organisations wishing to contribute positively to society through data processing to adopt this framework and to commit to doing good with data or, at the very least, to avoid harming individuals by processing their data.Data Protection as a Corporate Social Responsibility will be a beneficial read for scholars and students with particular interest in corporate law and governance, human rights, internet and technology law, and privacy. It will also appeal to legal professionals, cybersecurity professionals, and sustainability specialists alike.
Data Protection Law and Emotion (Oxford Data Protection & Privacy Law)
by Damian CliffordData protection law is often positioned as a regulatory solution to the risks posed by computational systems. Despite the widespread adoption of data protection laws, however, there are those who remain sceptical as to their capacity to engender change. Much of this criticism focuses on our role as 'data subjects'. It has been demonstrated repeatedly that we lack the capacity to act in our own best interests and, what is more, that our decisions have negative impacts on others. Our decision-making limitations seem to be the inevitable by-product of the technological, social, and economic reality. Data protection law bakes in these limitations by providing frameworks for notions such as consent and subjective control-rights and by relying on those who process our data to do so fairly. Despite these valid concerns, Data Protection Law and Emotion argues that the (in)effectiveness of these laws are often more difficult to discern than the critical literature would suggest, while also emphasising the importance of the conceptual value of subjective control. These points are explored (and indeed, exposed) by investigating data protection law through the lens of the insights provided by law and emotion scholarship and demonstrating the role emotions play in our decision-making. The book uses the development of Emotional Artificial Intelligence, a particularly controversial technology, as a case study to analyse these issues. Original and insightful, Data Protection Law and Emotion offers a unique contribution to a contentious debate that will appeal to students and academics in data protection and privacy, policymakers, practitioners, and regulators.
Debating in Teaching and Learning English: Theory and Practice for Pedagogy and Curriculum
by Ben WIlsonThis book offers the first full-length treatment of the topic of debating as a method of developing English Foreign Language (EFL) speaking, inviting scholars and practitioners to reflect on the demands of the current age for moving forward educational practice. While debating is a well-known method of dialogic speaking and is widely practiced, the extent to which it is integrated in adult TEFL has not been established, and an understanding of its affordances for developing foreign language speaking is also limited.This book fills the gap in the field of TESOL and applied linguistics on the affordances of debating as a form of dialogic speaking that can promote a holistic understanding and improvement of experience of education, and indeed academic outcomes. The two main themes that situate the work are those of dialogic speaking and affect (at times referred to as 'humanistic', 'positive psychology' and 'social and emotional learning'). The book details the experiences of an adult EFL debate group in a private language school in the North of Italy. It reports how the participants experience the pedagogy so as to offer insights into it as a form of teaching speaking in adult EFL, as well as providing a practical framework with lesson plans and curriculum. The affordances of debating emerge as being social, cognitive, educational and communicative, and are discussed alongside the work of language teaching scholars Curran and Freire, and more broadly within a Social Constructivist approach to education. As such, debating is discussed as being a holistic and dialogic form of pedagogy. Particular attention to experience - often affective - is also found to be fundamental in planning and assessing educational outcomes for both teachers and learners.
Developing a Neo-Peircean Approach to Signs (Bloomsbury Advances in Semiotics)
by Tony JappyThis book takes up a number of Charles Sanders Peirce's undeveloped semiotic concepts and highlights their theoretical interest for a general semiotics. Peirce's career as a logician spanned almost half a century, during which time he produced several increasingly complex sign systems. The best-known, from 1903, defined amongst other things a signifying process involving sign, object and interpretant, the universally-known icon-index-symbol division and a set of 10 distinct classes of signs. Peirce subsequently expanded this process to include 2 objects, the sign and 3 interpretants. Uncoincidentally, in the 5 years between 1903 and the final system of 1908, he introduced a number of highly innovative semiotic concepts which he never developed. One such concept is hypoiconicity, which comprises 3 levels of isomorphism holding between sign and object and, in spite of the mutations these varieties of icon subsequently underwent, offers qualitative analysis as a complement to the traditional literal-figurative binarism in the discussion of verbal and nonverbal signs. Another is semiosis, which Peirce introduced and defined in 1907 but only rarely illustrated. Involving a complex combination of object, perception, interpretation and a medium, this is shown to be a far more complex signifying process than the one implicit in the three-correlate definition of the sign of 1903. Exploring the evolving theoretical background to the emergence of these new concepts and showing how they differ from certain contemporary conceptions of sign, mind and signification, the book proposes an introduction to, and explanations and illustrations of, these important developments.
Developing Extensions for Joomla! 5: Extend your sites and build rich customizations with Joomla! plugins, modules, and components
by Carlos M. MoraHarness the full potential of Joomla! through this comprehensive take on Joomla! extensions from conception through to releaseKey FeaturesDiscover the complete cycle of extension development from conception to releaseLeverage built-in features such as categories, ACL, and custom fields to enrich your extensionsLearn how to build extensions that integrate with the Joomla! API and the new Joomla! CLIPurchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookBook DescriptionJoomla! 5 is a groundbreaking CMS that helps you take a significant leap into the world of content management systems. Joomla! 5 features a variety of impressive new features that align with current web standards and enable you to experience lightning-fast performance for optimal web page optimization, leverage the new code architecture, and tap into the WebService API, among others. This book takes you on a journey of extending Joomla's capabilities by developing your own extensions. The chapters not only explain the key concepts behind Joomla's architecture but also equip you with the latest techniques for crafting components and plugins. You’ll discover how to leverage existing features within Joomla! to empower your extensions and create tailored solutions. The book takes you from the initial stages of planning your extension development to a fully featured finished product. As you advance, you'll learn invaluable techniques for testing your extension, addressing common issues, and preparing it for publication. The concluding chapters of this comprehensive guide teach you how to test your extension for common issues, along with how to publish the extension for everyone to use. By the end of this book, you’ll have the confidence and skills to complete the cycle of extension development.What you will learnFind out how to plan the development of a new extension from scratchUnderstand the basic structure of a Joomla! extensionGet to grips with the Joomla! Forms systemUse Joomla! features effectively to enrich your extensionsDiscover how to add a WebService API to your extensionCreate a Joomla! CLI command for your extensionDevelop a Joomla! Child Template for your projectsTest your extensions before the releaseWho this book is forThis book is for Joomla! developers and web designers who want to extend the functionalities of Joomla! and find innovative ways to customize their content management systems, e-commerce websites, business websites, and more. Basic familiarity with Joomla! will help you get the most out of this book.
The Digital Double Bind: Change and Stasis in the Middle East (Oxford Studies in Digital Politics)
by Mohamed Zayani Joe F. KhalilThe digital has emerged as a driving force of change that is reshaping everyday life and affecting nearly every sphere of vital activity. Yet, its impact has been far from uniform. The multifaceted implications of these ongoing shifts differ markedly across the world, demanding a nuanced understanding of specific manifestations and local experiences of the digital. In The Digital Double Bind, Mohamed Zayani and Joe F. Khalil explore how the Middle East's digital turn intersects with complex political, economic, and socio-cultural dynamics. Drawing on local research and rich case studies, they show how the same forces that brought promises of change through digital transformation have also engendered tensions and contradictions. The authors contend that the ensuing disjunctures have ensnared the region in a double bind, which represents the salient feature of an unfolding digital turn. The same conditions that drive the state, market, and public immersion in the digital also inhibit the region's drive to change. The Digital Double Bind reconsiders the question of technology and change, moving beyond binary formulations and familiar trajectories of the network society. It offers a path-breaking analysis of change and stasis in the Middle East and provides a roadmap for a critical engagement with digitality in the Global South.
The Digital Double Bind: Change and Stasis in the Middle East (Oxford Studies in Digital Politics)
by Mohamed Zayani Joe KhalilThe digital has emerged as a driving force of change that is reshaping everyday life and affecting nearly every sphere of vital activity. Yet, its impact has been far from uniform. The multifaceted implications of these ongoing shifts differ markedly across the world, demanding a nuanced understanding of specific manifestations and local experiences of the digital. In The Digital Double Bind, Mohamed Zayani and Joe F. Khalil explore how the Middle East's digital turn intersects with complex political, economic, and socio-cultural dynamics. Drawing on local research and rich case studies, they show how the same forces that brought promises of change through digital transformation have also engendered tensions and contradictions. The authors contend that the ensuing disjunctures have ensnared the region in a double bind, which represents the salient feature of an unfolding digital turn. The same conditions that drive the state, market, and public immersion in the digital also inhibit the region's drive to change. The Digital Double Bind reconsiders the question of technology and change, moving beyond binary formulations and familiar trajectories of the network society. It offers a path-breaking analysis of change and stasis in the Middle East and provides a roadmap for a critical engagement with digitality in the Global South.
Digital Technologies and Public Procurement: Gatekeeping and Experimentation in Digital Public Governance
by Albert Sanchez-GraellsThe digital transformation of the public sector has accelerated. States are experimenting with technology, seeking more streamlined and efficient digital government and public services. However, there are significant concerns about the risks and harms to individual and collective rights under new modes of digital public governance. Several jurisdictions are attempting to regulate digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence, however regulatory effort primarily concentrates on technology use by companies, not by governments. The regulatory gap underpinning public sector digitalisation is growing. As it controls the acquisition of digital technologies, public procurement has emerged as a 'regulatory fix' to govern public sector digitalisation. It seeks to ensure through its contracts that public sector digitalisation is trustworthy, ethical, responsible, transparent, fair, and (cyber) safe. However, in Digital Technologies and Public Procurement: Gatekeeping and Experimentation in Digital Public Governance, Albert Sanchez-Graells argues that procurement cannot perform this gatekeeping role effectively. Through a detailed case study of procurement digitalisation as a site of unregulated technological experimentation, he demonstrates that relying on 'regulation by contract' creates a false sense of security in governing the transition towards digital public governance. This leaves the public sector exposed to the 'policy irresistibility' that surrounds hyped digital technologies. Bringing together insights from political economy, public policy, science, technology, and legal scholarship, this thought-provoking book proposes an alternative regulatory approach and contributes to broader debates of digital constitutionalism and digital technology regulation.