|
|
|
Social Capital, Quality of Life and Information Society Technologies
Evidence based dynamic modelling support for the IST priority
A European project funded under the Information Society Technologies Priority in the 6th Framework Program
Abstract:
SOCQUIT will support IST policy and industry by providing insight how one can optimize the positive effects of IST development on social capital and quality of life. The project first analyses the current knowledge about relationships between IST, social capital and quality of life by reviewing relevant literature and datasets. Based on the results a system dynamic model will be constructed and internally validated by analysing available datasets. A decision support tool will be developed that shows the two-way effects of the use of IST and the development of social capital and quality of life. In interactive seminars with invited representatives from policy, research and industry (a so-called Special Interest Group) relevant research questions will be selected and analysed.
Creating societal benefits with IST development
There is considerable emphasis on using Information Society Technologies (IST) investment to create societal benefits for European citizens. These are deemed to include greater employment opportunities and greater social cohesion and inclusion. Explicit references are made for improving Europeans’ quality of life and social participation with IST. Access to other people, and not so much access to knowledge or information, is increasingly considered to be one of the key characteristics of the information and communications technology revolution. When considering the IST market, person-to-person communication services are creating an explosion of traffic and revenues. Policy makers are addressing the social benefits of IST and the Research and Technology Development (RTD) expenditures are aiming for social return on investment.
Although there is evidence that IST can be a critical energiser of social and economic regeneration as well as overall quality of life, the specific impact of IST on inter-personal and community-based social relationships (known as ‘social capital’) is not as well understood. Recent studies for example report that Internet users can also feel less socially included, have less contact with people and have less integration into their local community. For effective and efficient IST policy it is important to act on evidence about social impact of IST development. The aim of SOCQUIT is to create a better insight in the effects of IST on the development of social capital and quality of life. By collecting, analysing and presenting the available knowledge in a systematic way, SOCQUIT will support evidence-based decision-making in this field
What will SOCQUIT contribute?
 |
SOCQUIT will support IST policy and industry by providing insight how one can optimize the positive effects of IST development on social capital and quality of life. Socquit has two central objectives: |
|
To provide support for policy, research and industry by making explicit the effects of new ISTs on social capital and quality of life. |
|
To initiate expert networks and activities, which will form the basis for a range of future, integrated RTD activities in this subject area. |
A main deliverable of SOCQUIT is an evidence-based model. This model will represent a state of the art condensation of this issue. This model will be delivered as a decision support tool showing estimated effects of IST use on the development of social capital and quality of life. In three interactive seminars with representatives from the policy, industry and research domain this model will be applied to selected research questions that investigate the impact of IST on social capital and quality of life. Discussion with these representatives in a so-called Special Interest Group will enhance the validity and usability of the results. In this way SOCQUIT aims to provide actionable knowledge that will increase the social well being in the European information society.
Research tasks
SOCQUIT is divided into three research tasks:
|
state of the art review |
|
development of decision support tool based on a dynamic mode |
|
analysis of implications |
State of the art review
A literature review will
collect and analyse the state of the art knowledge about the impact that ISTs
can make directly or indirectly on quality of life through support for social
capital. This in itself will provide analysis that can be used to make policy
and, where appropriate, regulatory recommendations and RTD investment decisions.
Through the review of data sets, the study will also point to key resources that
can be used outside this action to further the social and political objectives
of the priority. The state of the art review will also examine the most
important policy questions vis-ŕ-vis social capital, quality of life and IST.
Based on this, the most relevant issues will be selected for further analysis
together with the Special Interest Group.
Decision
support tool based on a dynamic model
SOCQUIT will condense the state-of-the-art knowledge about the
interrelationships between quality of life, social capital and IST into a
dynamic model. This evidence-based model will give insight into the estimated
effect of IST on the development of quality of life and social capital in
several scenarios. The
relationships in this model will be
validated and quantified by data-analysis on data sets collected in the state of
the art review. Feedback from the experts in the Special Interest Group will be
used as an external validation and will help to ensure that the model is
covering the most relevant topics. After validation the model will be converted
into a user-friendly tool, which is freely available for research, policy and
industry purposes.
|
Research approach: dynamic modelling The interrelationships between IST, social capital and quality of life are reciprocal and dynamic. Social life shapes the use of IST and simultaneously IST use shapes social life. To assess the impact of such complex interrelationships it is helpful to consider the acceptance of an IST as a process and part of a dynamic system. SOCQUIT will make use of system dynamic modeling methodology that will provide better insight in the processes about how ISTs are accepted and used and how social capital and quality of life will evolve as a result of this. Understanding these processes is important in the definition of scenarios and technology roadmaps (which are process-oriented in itself). |
The model will be applied to analyse the questions selected together with the Special Interest Group after the state of the art review. In the last seminar, a policy and RTD agenda will be discussed based on these findings. The project will also provide a list of list of recommended actions that will assist in optimising the positive effects of IST development on the development of social capital and quality of life. Through the use of the validated model – and the knowledge embedded within it – SOCQUIT aims to enable decision makers to assess the likely pay-off of RTD interventions in specific social or technological areas also after the life-time of the project. SOCQUIT will enable the use of scientifically supported data, information and knowledge to make informed decisions that will improve the Europeans’ quality of life.
|
Research
approach: involvement of stakeholders Involvement of stakeholders from the policy, research and industry areas in SOCQUIT is ensured in a so-called Special Interest Group. In three seminars, the results of the meta-analysis, the model and the analyses on the selected topics will be presented to this group of experts and potential users of the SOCQUIT deliverables. The interactive set-up of these seminars will enable the delivery of usable and useful project results that could immediately impact the working practice of specialists in policy, RTD or IST industry. SOCQUIT aims to construct an environment in which the Special Interest Group could evolve into an expert working group that will continue to cooperate after the end of the project, e.g. by maintaining an electronic discussion forum. |
Partners
TNO - Netherlands
Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (The Netherlands)
Jeroen Heres – TNO STB
Rutger Mooy – TNO Telecom
Telenor (Norway)
Dr Rich Ling
University of Essex – Chimera (United Kingdom)
Dr Ben Anderson
Eurescom (Germany)
Peter Stollenmayer
FTR
(France)
Dr Frank Thomas
SOCQUIT information
Running period: December 2003 until July 2005
Project coordination:
Jeroen Heres (TNO)
Postal address:
Postbus 6030; 2600 JA Delft,
The Netherlands
For more information about SOCQUIT, please visit our website www.eurescom.de/socquit
For comments or questions please send an e-mail to socquit-info@eurescom.de