Thesaurus-assisted search term selection and query expansion: a review of user-centred studies

This paper provides a review of the literature related to the application of domain-specific thesauri in the search and retrieval process. Focusing on studies which adopt a user-centred approach, the review presents a survey of the methodologies and results from empirical studies undertaken on the use of thesauri as sources of term selection for query formulation and expansion during the search process. It summaries the ways in which domain-specific thesauri from different disciplines have been used by various types of users and how these tools aid users in the selection of search terms. The review consists of two main sections covering, firstly studies on thesaurus-aided search term selection and secondly those dealing with query expansion using thesauri. Both sections are illustrated with case studies that have adopted a user-centred approach

Creative destruction or mere niche creation? Innovation policy mixes for sustainability transitions

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in policy mixes in innovation studies. While it has long been acknowledged that the stimulation of innovation and technological change involves different types of policy instruments, how such instruments form policy mixes has only recently become of interest. We argue that an area in which policy mixes are particularly important is the field of sustainability transitions. Transitions imply not only the development of disruptive innovations but also of policies aiming for wider change in socio-technical systems. We propose that ideally policy mixes for transitions include elements of ‘creative destruction’, involving both policies aiming for the ‘creation’ of new and for ‘destabilising’ the old. We develop a novel analytical framework including the two policy mix dimensions (‘creation’ and ‘destruction’) by broadening the technological innovation system functions approach, and specifically by expanding the concept of ‘motors of innovation’ to ‘motors of creative destruction’. We test this framework by analysing ‘low energy’ policy mixes in Finland and the UK. We find that both countries have diverse policy mixes to support energy efficiency and reduce energy demand with instruments to cover all functions on the creation side. Despite the demonstrated need for such policies, unsurprisingly, destabilising functions are addressed by fewer policies, but there are empirical examples of such policies in both countries. The concept of ‘motors of creative destruction’ is introduced to expand innovation and technology policy debates to go beyond policy mixes consisting of technology push and demand pull instruments, and to consider a wider range of policy instruments combined in a suitable mix which may contribute to sustainability transitions

Kokeilujen rooli suomalaisessa rakennetussa ympäristössä

Tämän tutkielman tavoitteena oli systemaattisesti kartoittaa ja tarkastella rakennetun ympäristön vähähiilisyys- ja/tai sosiaalinen oikeudenmukaisuus kokeiluja Suomessa sekä ymmärtää, miten kunnat osallistuvat kokeiluihin ja millaisia haasteita kunnat kohtaavat siihen osallistuessaan. Oikeudenmukaisten ja vähähiilisten rakennusten ja asumisen muotojen selvittämiseksi kartoitettiin systemaattisesti 1 386 kohdetta 15 tietokannassa. 204 rakennetun ympäristön vähähiilisyys ja/tai oikeudenmukaisuus kokeilua tunnustettiin ja analysoitiin. Kuntien osallisuutta ja kohtaamia haasteita lähestyttiin tapaustutkimuksella neljästä suomalaisesta kaupungista (Helsinki, Joensuu, Turku ja Vantaa). 14 kokeilujen parissa työskentelevää henkilöä haastateltiin ja lisäksi kerättiin 1 839 sivua tapauskaupunkeihin liittyviä asiakirjoja. Haastatteluja ja dokumentteja analysoitiin abduktiivisesti kuntien osallisuuden tapojen ja kuntien edustajien kohtaamien haasteiden selvittämiseksi. Tutkielman tulokset osoittavat, että kokeiluissa keskitytään niche-markkinoiden rakentamiseen ja kehittämiseen sekä teknologioiden testaamiseen. Keskittyminen sosiaaliseen oikeudenmukaisuuteen ja ihmisten käyttäytymiseen on vähäisempää. Vaikka kokeiluissa oli joitain päällekkäisyyksiä vähähiilisen ja sosiaalisen oikeudenmukaisuuden välillä, kokeiluilla ei pyritty lisäämään oikeudenmukaisuutta, vaan pikemminkin toteuttamaan vähähiilisyyttä sosiaalisesti oikeudenmukaisella tavalla. Kunnat keskittyivät voimakkaasti niche- markkinoiden rakentamiseen ja kehittämiseen, ja kokeilujen sujuvoittamiseen. Kunnat eivät juurikaan tehneet kokeiluja omassa toiminnassaan ja keskittyivät kokeiluprosessiin rakennetun ympäristön vähähiilisen ja oikeudenmukaisen siirtymän sijaan. Lisäksi näissä toimissa havaittiin heikosti uutuusarvoa, joustavuutta ja kykyä antaa kokeiluhankkeiden epäonnistua. Tutkielmassa ilmenee myös, että kestävyyskokeilujen ja kestävyysmuutosten väliset yhteydet eivät ole niin suoraviivaisia kuin tutkimuksen viitekehys esitti. Vaikka useita havaintoja kestävän kehityksen kokeiluista tehtiin, on edelleen tarve lisätutkimuksille, jotta ymmärrettäisiin paremmin rakennetun ympäristön sosiaalisesti oikeudenmukaisten ja vähähiilisten kokeilujen ominaisuuksia ja kyettäisiin vauhdittamaan rakennetun ympäristön kestävyyssiirtymää.This thesis aimed to systematically map and review built environment low carbon and/or social justice experiments in Finland and understand how municipalities engage in experimentation and what challenges municipalities face when engaging in it. To find what forms of experiments for socially just low carbon buildings and housing can be found in Finland, 1 386 objects in 15 databases were systematically mapped. 204 unique built environment low carbon and/or social justice experiments were recognized and further reviewed. Municipality engagements and challenges in experimentation were approached through a case study of four Finnish municipalities Helsinki, Joensuu, Turku, and Vantaa. 14 case city officials and other persons working with experimentation were interviewed, and 1 839 pages of case-city-related documents were gathered. Triangulation was used to analyze the interview transcripts and additional documents in an abductive manner to find what kind of policy engagements for experimentation municipalities participated in and what kind of challenges the municipality representatives identified when doing so. This thesis discovered that there is a large focus on building and nurturing niches and testing technologies with a lack of focus on profound social justice and the behavioral side of the sustainability transitions. The sustainability experimentation in the built environment was technology-focused and lacked profound social justice aspects. Even though there were some overlaps between low carbon and social justice in the experiments, the experiments did not seek to increase social justice but rather to do low carbon in a socially just way. Municipalities strongly focused on building and nurturing niches and experimentation as a process. Municipalities did not do much experimentation in their operations and focused on the experimentation process rather than the subject matter. Also, the municipality experimentation engagements were characterized by a lack of novelty, flexibility, and uncertainty. This thesis also reveals that the links between sustainability experimentation and sustainability transitions may not be as straightforward as the scientific models and frameworks present. Though this thesis made several findings about sustainability experimentation, there remains a particularly urgent need to develop and conduct additional studies. They are needed to understand better the phenomena in the socially just low carbon experimentation in the built environment to enable just transition to low carbon buildings and housing

The changing face of innovation policy: implications for the Northern Ireland economy

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Research Evaluation as a Policy Design Tool: Mapping Approaches across a Set of Case Studies

This paper provides an overview of research evaluation practices across countries. The main aim is to investigate whether research assessment is implemented and to see to what extent its results are used to revise policy strategies, identify new research priorities, allocate financial resources or enhance public understanding of R&D. The paper addresses a set of cases studies, four within Europe (UK, Finland, Italy, and Spain) and two outside (US and Japan). Each case study provides an outline of the strategies devised to improve the domestic science system; offers a map of the main actors of science policy and introduces the main performers of research assessment. A short overview of how evaluation is approached at European level is also given. The study shows that approaches vary significantly from case to case and that it is not always possible to identify a clear research evaluation framework. In some cases, new strategies have been devised to improve the research system and the process of renovation has affected the structure and the role of research assessment. Overall, official documents across countries emphasise that research evaluation is not a means in itself, and call on its use as a policy design tool. However, very few cases of “management by results” can be identified. The success of research evaluation practice is always tied to strong cultural support and it is where research assessment meets with reluctance and mistrust that it yields no fruit. The absence of an “evaluative culture” is the main obstacle to an efficient research evaluation system.Research Evaluation Systems, Management by Results, Evaluative Culture, Research Policy, Policy Planning

From health to wealth : The future of personalized medicine in the making

During the past decade, in Finland and elsewhere, biomedicine and genomics-related initiatives have been organized under the sociotechnical imaginary of personalized medicine. Within this imaginary, the medical future is promoted and made up, and the activities often subtly change the very meaning of what the imaginary of personalized medicine entails. In this paper, we study the Finnish strategies and pursuits addressing the utilization of genomics to advance personalized medicine. We build our analysis on previous research on sociotechnical imaginaries (Jasanoff & Kim, 2015) and the hype and expectations surrounding emerging technologies (Borup et al., 2006; Brown & Michael, 2003; Brown, 2003). We emphasize that the sociotechnical imaginary requires practical maintenance. In our analysis we address both rhetorical and action framings related to the making of personalized medicine and point out that activities of maintenance simultaneously pursue and reconfigure the imaginary of personalized medicine. Furthermore, our analysis shows that the focus of advocacy in personalized medicine has shifted from the promise of health to the promise of wealth as innovation policy and data-driven medicine have become the key framings.Peer reviewe

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