[wos] CfP Governing the Knowledge Society

[Volker Grassmuck]

DVPW Arbeitskreis Politische Steuerung
Center for Globalization and Governance


Call for Papers

Governing the Knowledge Society
12.–13. October 2006
University of Hamburg

Knowledge has long been on the agenda of social sciences. Currently
processes of rapid technological change and the growing importance of
knowledge based markets have propelled discussions on possible contents
and consequences of what is often termed the »knowledge society«. Even
if there is no agreement on whether we should presently speak of a
transition to a postindustrial information or knowledge society, there
is no doubt that at least in countries of the global north production
and trade in immaterial goods – services, information, and knowledge –
will continue to gain importance. Therefore modes of regulating access
to knowledge resources, modes of public and private control and
appropriation of the production and distribution of knowledge are
becoming more and more central.
The conference will address theoretical and practical implications and
consequences of these new modes and models of regulating knowledge. In
this context two levels of regulating or controlling access to knowledge
can be distinguished:

1. Attempts and models of regulating the production and dissemination of
knowledge
This level concerns the attempts of different actors to structure and
control those areas in which new knowledge is generated or in which
existing knowledge is taught: education and research. National actors
that until now have structured contents, aims and programmatic of school
and university education are currently under pressure from two sides: On
the one hand processes of policy convergence and global and/or European
harmonization attempts (GATS, Bologna Process) lead to educational
policies in which single national or subnational actors loose much of
their influence. On the other hand private actors are pushing into the
growing educational market, introducing new economic imperatives and
action logics.
Which intentions and ideas govern these developments (e.g. »life-long
learning«, »learning to learn«)? How does the changing perception of
education in general and of its social significance influence governance
processes on the national, the European and the international level? Can
we speak of a retreat of the state or have nation states only changed
their governance instruments? Are there repercussions of changing modes
of governance in the education area on stakeholders’ power and ability
to influence policy processes?

2. Regulation and governance of access and use of knowledge
Differences between private and public interests are even stronger in
the case of  , use, and exploitation of knowledge than in the case of
its production and dissemination. Claims of free access to information
and knowledge compete with claims of private ownership. Concepts of
communal ownership in a free information infrastructure or of a Digital
Commons clash with imperatives of private appropriation and use of
information and knowledge.
It remains to be analyzed which models of regulation and/or governance
of knowledge do exist, and on which models of property and common goods
these modes draw. Which social actors propagate – implicitly or
explicitly – which model? What is the content of these models? On which
premises do they rest? How do they differ? What social and economic
consequences would follow from different models? Do they perceive
knowledge as a common or as a private good? Are there systematic
differences between material and immaterial goods, and what consequences
does this have for claims of intellectual property rights?

3. Abstracts and Registration
The international conference on »governing the knowledge society« will
be held from 12. to 13. October 2006 at the Center for Globalization and
Governance at the University of Hamburg. It will address questions on
both levels of the problem including but not limited to the ones posed
above. The conference does not aim at solving the question whether
»knowledge society« is the right term to describe structures of current
social change or not. It does aim at addressing the consequences of the
growing importance of knowledge as a social and economic resource and it
aims at understanding the changes of modes of governance, regulation,
and steering that accompany and shape this process.

Abstracts for papers (max. 250 words) should be sent before 30.4.2006 to:
Sebastian Haunss <Haunss [at] sozialwiss.uni-hamburg.de> or to
Katrin Toens <ktoens [at] sozialwiss.uni-hamburg.de>

Further details will be found on the conference website at:
http://www.cgg.uni-hamburg.de/konferenzen/knowledgesociety.html

-- 

Dr. Sebastian Haunss
Universität Hamburg
Institut für Politische Wissenschaft
Allende-Platz 1
D-20146 Hamburg
haunss at sozialwiss.uni-hamburg.de

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