Vastutustundliku teaduse ja innovatsiooni mõistmine loodusteaduslikus hariduses

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneVastutustundlik teadus ja innovatsioon (Responsible Research and Innovation, RRI) on muutunud viimasel kümnendil Euroopa Liidu teadus- ja innovatsioonipoliitika oluliseks osaks ning seda kasutatakse poliitilise raamistikuna teaduse juhtimisel. Ehkki viimasel kümnendil on teadus- ja arendustegevuses hakatud üha enam huvi tundma RRI kontseptuaalse käsitluse vastu, võib RRI peamiseks probleemiks pidada piiratud arusaama kontseptsiooni olemusest. Näiteks ilmneb, et RRId on haridusvaldkonnas käsitletud eelkõige seoses Euroopa Liidu teaduspoliitika rakendamisega, kuid puudu on uuringutest, milles võrreldaks haridusvaldkonna RRI käsitust teaduskirjanduses avaldatud arusaamaga RRIst ning püütaks RRId haridusvaldkonda tähendusrikkal viisil integreerida. Eeltoodust lähtudes seati doktoriväitekirjale neli eesmärki: 1) välja selgitada RRI definitsioonid ja kontseptuaalsed dimensioonid; 2) teha selgeks, kuidas loodusteaduste õpetajad tajuvad RRId oma töös; 3) välja selgitada, kuidas loodusteaduste õpetajad mõistavad vastutustundlikkuse tähendust uurimusliku õppe eri etappides; 4) käsitleda RRIga seotud haridusfilosoofilisi suundi omavahel seotuna ning esile tuua vastutustundlikkuse osa haridusfilosoofilistes suundades. Uuringu tulemusena võib RRId kirjeldada protsessina, kuhu kaasatakse osalisi demokraatlikult, nähes ette ja tajudes, kuidas teadus ja innovatsioon võivad või saavad toimida ühiskonna hüvanguks. RRId iseloomustatakse nelja kontseptuaalse dimensiooni (refleksiivsus, operatiivsus, ennetamine, kaasamine) ja kahe avalduva kontseptuaalse dimensiooni (jätkusuutlikkus, hool) kaudu. Doktoritöö raames tehtud empiirilisest uuringust ilmnes, et RRId saab haridusvaldkonnas kontseptualiseerida järgmiste kategooriatena: arusaamine, tegutsemine, uurimine ja kaasamine. Seega võib RRId vaatlusaluses kontekstis tõlgendada kui tähendusrikast kaasamist, millega antakse õpilastele võimalus vastutada ja teaduslikult põhjendatud teadmistest või tehnoloogiaga seotud protsessidest aru saada, nendega seoses tegutseda või neid uurida. Töö praktiline väärtus seisneb panuses üldhariduskooli ja õppekava arendusse ning poliitikasse, kus tähelepanu tuleks pöörata vastutustundlikkuse tajumisele õppeprotsessis, loodusteaduslikus hariduses kanda kinnitanud suundade (nt uurimusliku õppe, sotsiaalteaduslike probleemide) sügavamale mõistmisele ning koolituste ja õppematerjalide väljaarendamisele.In recent decades, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has gained a wider importance in the European Union where RRI is developed as a political framework in the governance of science. Although interest has increased in the conceptualization of RRI, the main problem is the lack of theoretical conceptualization as well as an explanation of RRI in practice. The literature indicates that RRI in science education is regarded in connection with the EU research politics, but there is still a deficiency of studies regarding the nature of RRI in education connected with scientific literature and also about integrating the RRI concept into education in a meaningful way. Therefore, the aims of the present research were to determine: (1) the definitions and conceptual dimensions of RRI based on the relevant literature on the topic, (2) how science teachers perceive the emergence of Responsible Research and Innovation in their work, (3) a better understanding of the meaning that the term responsibility can have in different phases of inquiry-based learning, (4) the complementarity of RRI-related philosophies in science education and to consider responsibility as a part of the RRI-related philosophies in science education. As a result of the study, RRI can be described as an effort to govern the process of research and innovation with the goal of democratically including, at the early stages, all stakeholders concerned in anticipating and discerning how research and innovation can or may work for the society as a whole. RRI can be described by the four conceptual dimensions – reflexivity, responsiveness, anticipation and inclusion – and with the two emerging dimensions – sustainability and care. Based on the empirical study of the current research, the RRI dimensions were conceptualized in education in the following categories: sense-making, action-taking, exploration and inclusion. In sum it can be said that RRI in education can be described as a process where teachers include learners meaningfully and where learners are given an opportunity to make sense, take action or explore the scientific knowledge or the technology-related processes. The practical value of the work stems from the contribution to the practice of the school for general education and curriculum development as well as to the politics. Attention should be paid on discerning responsibility in the learning process, a deeper understanding of the previously established approaches in science education (e.g. inquiry-based learning, socio-scientific issues) and development of the necessary training and teaching materials.https://www.ester.ee/record=b526604

Karl Polanyi in Budapest: On his political and intellectual formation

Copyright © Archives Européennes de Sociologie 2009.A major thinker and inspiring teacher, Karl Polanyi's contributions have long been influential in a variety of disciplines, notably economic sociology and economic history. Two of his innovations, substantivist economic anthropology and the “double movement thesis,” are recognized as seminal. All of the works for which he is known, however, were written late in life, when in exile, and very little is known of his Hungarian writings, virtually none of which had, until now, been translated. Despite his fame, the biographical literature on Polanyi remains modest: some studies provide invaluable insights, yet all are brief. This article attempts to make some headway in remedying these lacunae. It sketches the contours of that extraordinary historical-geographical conjuncture in which he was formed, and explores his intellectual and political engagements in the Galilei Circle and the Radical Bourgeois Party. It seeks in particular to elucidate the complex roles played by questions of nation, ethnicity and class in the life of the young Karl Polanyi

Portuguese media discourse on nuclear energy before and after Fukushima: prepared for the EFDA Workprogramme 2012 WP12-SER-ACIF-1

This report presents the results of the analysis of nuclear related content in Portuguese print media. The report is submitted to the first step of the research task untitled Public Discourse about Nuclear Fusion before and after the Fukushima accident, as part of the Socio-Economic Research on Fusion under the general coordination of EFDA Workprogramme 2012

Policy change and learning: Implementing EU environmental policies affecting agriculture

This thesis aims to show whether and how the implementation of the EU environmental policy could be improved through policy learning. The results are based on two case studies: the development of agri-environmental policy in Finland and the implementation of the Water Framework Directive(WFD)in Ireland. The institutional analysis shows that the institutional structures changed due to the membership: the formal structures changed almost overnight and, as a result of increased cross-sectoral cooperation and policy learning, the informal structures also changed. The implementation of agri-environmental policy was studied in one administrative region, namely Uusimaa, located in southern Finland. The adaptation of EU environmental policies is an interesting research topic, not only because of the policy process itself but also because of the actors and context involved

Open Environmental Information Upon Disclosure Request in China: The Paradox of Legal Mobilization

Taking a realist view that law is one form of politics, this dissertation studies the roles of citizens and organizations in mobilizing the law to request government agencies to disclose environmental information in China, and during this process, how the socio-legal field interacts with the political-legal sphere, and what changes have been brought about during their interactions. This work takes a socio-legal approach and applies methodologies of social science and legal analysis. It aims to understand the paradox of why and how citizens and entities have been invoking the law to access environmental information despite the fact that various obstacles exist and the effectiveness of the new mechanism of environmental information disclosure still remains low. The study is largely based on the 28 cases and eight surveys of environmental information disclosure requests collected by the author. The cases and surveys analysed in this dissertation all occurred between May 2008, when the OGI Regulations and the OEI Measures came into effect, and August 2012 when the case collection was completed. The findings of this study have shown that by invoking the rules of law made by the authorities to demand government agencies disclosing environmental information, the public, including citizens, organizations, law firms, and the media, have strategically created a repercussive pressure upon the authorities to act according to the law. While it is a top-down process that has established the mechanism of open government information in China, it is indeed the bottom-up activism of the public that makes it work. Citizens and organizations’ use of legal tactics to push government agencies to disclose environmental information have formed not only an end of accessing the information but more a means of making government agencies accountable to their legal obligations. Law has thus played a pivotal role in enabling citizen participation in the political process. Against the current situation in China that political campaigns, or politicization, from general election to collective actions, especially contentious actions, are still restrained or even repressed by the government, legal mobilization, or judicialization, that citizens and organizations use legal tactics to demand their rights and push government agencies to enforce the law, become de facto an alternative of political participation. During this process, legal actions have helped to strengthen the civil society, make government agencies act according to law, push back the political boundaries, and induce changes in the relationship between the state and the public. In the field of environmental information disclosure, citizens and organizations have formed a bottom-up social activism, though limited in scope, using the language of law, creating progressive social, legal and political changes. This study emphasizes that it is partial and incomplete to understand China’s transition only from the top-down policy-making and government administration; it is also important to observe it from the bottom-up perspective that in a realistic view law can be part of politics and legal mobilization, even when utterly apolitical, can help to achieve political aims as well. This study of legal mobilization in the field of environmental information disclosure also helps us to better understand the function of law: law is not only a tool for the authorities to regulate and control, but inevitably also a weapon for the public to demand government agencies to work towards their obligations stipulated by the laws issued by themselves.Tämä väitöskirja tarkastelee kansalaisten ja järjestöjen rooleja ympäristön tilaa koskevan tiedon vaatimisessa valtion laitoksilta hyödyntämällä sitä varten tehtyjä lakeja Kiinan kansantasavallassa. Tarkastelun kohteena ovat myös tietopyyntöprosessin yhteiskunnallis-laillisen puolen ja poliittis-laillisen puolen vuorovaikutuksen mukanaan tuomat muutokset. Väitöskirjan lähestymistapa on oikeussosiologinen sen hyödyntäessä yhteiskuntatieteen ja laintulkinnan metodeja. Sen keskiössä on kansalaisten ja muiden toimijoiden toiminnan ristiriita niiden hyödyntäessä lakia saadakseen käsiinsä ympäristön tilaa koskevaa informaatiota. Ristiriita kumpuaa tiedon saannin epävarmuudesta ja uuden mekanismin toimintavarmuuden kyseenalaisuudesta. Väitöskirjassa laki nähdään realistisen koulukunnan mukaan yhtenä politiikan osa-alueena. Tutkimuksen pohjana on 28 tapausta ja kahdeksan selvitystä ympäristötietoa koskevista tietopyynnöistä. Tapaukset ja selvitykset ajoittuvat vuoden 2008 toukokuun jälkeiselle ajalle, jolloin Kiina otti käyttöön tiedon avoimuutta käsittelevät säädökset. Materiaalien keräys päättyi vuoden 2012 elokuussa. Tutkimuksen johtopäätös on, että hyödyntämällä valtion omia lainvoimaisia tietopyyntöjä mahdollistavia mekanismeja, kansalaiset, järjestöt, asianajotoimistot ja media ovat aikaansaaneet valtioon kohdistuvan paineen, joka pakottaa sen toimimaan lain kirjaimen mukaan. Näin ylhäältä käsin luodun mekanismin toimivuuden on todistanut ruohonjuuritason aktivismi. Kansalaiset ja järjestöt ovat siis luoneet niin pääsyn tiedon lähteille kuin keinon saattaa valtion toimijat vastuuseen lain edellyttämistä velvoitteistaan. Lain rooli kansalaisten osallistamisessa poliittiseen prosessiin on täten ilmeinen.Siirretty Doriast

Does refusal bias influence the measurement of Chinese political trust?

Measurements of Chinese political trust may be inaccurate due to ‘refusal bias’, resulting from unwillingness of people with certain attitudes to take part in surveys. Such bias is especially problematic because researchers usually have little or no information about refusers. Nevertheless, techniques have been developed which allow correction of refusal bias by extrapolating from reluctant or difficult respondents on the basis of various measures of response propensity. Using data from a nationwide survey conducted in China in the winter of 2012/13, this article shows that this type of correction procedure improves the accuracy of measurement of the Communist Party membership rate, and produces significantly lower estimates of trust in the central government/Party leadership, trust in local government and support for the current system of government. Refusal bias is likely to result from the social desirability of expressing political trust and support under authoritarian conditions

A General Approach for Predicting the Behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States

Building on developments in machine learning and prior work in the science of judicial prediction, we construct a model designed to predict the behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States in a generalized, out-of-sample context. To do so, we develop a time evolving random forest classifier which leverages some unique feature engineering to predict more than 240,000 justice votes and 28,000 cases outcomes over nearly two centuries (1816-2015). Using only data available prior to decision, our model outperforms null (baseline) models at both the justice and case level under both parametric and non-parametric tests. Over nearly two centuries, we achieve 70.2% accuracy at the case outcome level and 71.9% at the justice vote level. More recently, over the past century, we outperform an in-sample optimized null model by nearly 5%. Our performance is consistent with, and improves on the general level of prediction demonstrated by prior work; however, our model is distinctive because it can be applied out-of-sample to the entire past and future of the Court, not a single term. Our results represent an important advance for the science of quantitative legal prediction and portend a range of other potential applications.Comment: version 2.02; 18 pages, 5 figures. This paper is related to but distinct from arXiv:1407.6333, and the results herein supersede arXiv:1407.6333. Source code available at https://github.com/mjbommar/scotus-predict-v

Education about organic food and sustainability in Denmark, Finland, Italy and Norway: Findings from the iPOPY project

This report presents results from “Work Package 4: Consumer perceptions, practices and learning” of the “innovative Public Organic food Procurement for Youth – iPOPY” project. The report gives an overview of organic food and sustainable development within national core curriculum and examples of education about organic food and sustainability in the participating European countries: Denmark, Finland, Italy and Norway

Libre culture: meditations on free culture

Libre Culture is the essential expression of the free culture/copyleft movement. This anthology, brought together here for the first time, represents the early groundwork of Libre Society thought. Referring to the development of creativity and ideas, capital works to hoard and privatize the knowledge and meaning of what is created. Expression becomes monopolized, secured within an artificial market-scarcity enclave and finally presented as a novelty on the culture industry in order to benefit cloistered profit motives. In the way that physical resources such as forests or public services are free, Libre Culture argues for the freeing up of human ideas and expression from copyright bulwarks in all forms