SIENNA D6.1: Generalised methodology for ethical assessment of emerging technologies

This report provides a unique, comprehensive and carefully tested methodology for the ethical analysis of emerging technologies, a methodology that is motivated by our earlier studies in the SIENNA project. Our methodology contains seven key steps, the first four of which are directed at defining subject of analysis, aim and scope, and engaging in conceptual analysis and description, and the final three of which specify the actual ethical analysis, with both descriptive and normative components. We provide a detailed account of each of these seven steps and illustrate the application of our methodology to different emerging technologies. Our methodology makes use of methods of foresight analysis and social and environmental impact assessment (SIA), and of stakeholder engagement, and methods for these processes are described in additional sections of the report. We conclude the report by situating our approach within the broader landscape of approaches for technology assessment and impact assessment

Contextualizing legal norms: a multi-dimensional view of the 2014 legal capital reform in China

This paper intends to shed light on the contentious theme of the reception of legal transplantation in the host environment, by examining the 2014 legislative reform of legal capital in China, which at least on paper imitates the enabling settings of US Revised Model Business Corporation Act (RMBCA). The paper looks at the interconnections between national-specific contextual elements, the resultant complexities, and the spillover effects of transplanted configurations in the unique Chinese socio-cultural setting, implicating the discrepancy between the ‘law in practice’ and the borrowed words ‘on the books’, and suggesting the importance of gaining a holistic understanding of ‘law’ involving the legal traditions in both the donor country and the recipient nation

Binding the Smart City Human-Digital System with Communicative Processes

This chapter will explore the dynamics of power underpinning ethical issues within smart cities via a new paradigm derived from Systems Theory. The smart city is an expression of technology as a socio-technical system. The vision of the smart city contains a deep fusion of many different technical systems into a single integrated “ambient intelligence”. ETICA Project, 2010, p. 102). Citizens of the smart city will not experience a succession of different technologies, but a single intelligent and responsive environment through which they move. Analysis of such an environment requires a framework which transcends traditional ontologically-based models in order to accommodate this deep fusion. This chapter will outline a framework based on Latour’s Actor-Network Theory and Luhmann’s treatment of society as an autopoetic system. We shall use this framework to map the influence of relevant factors on ethical issues, irrespective of their composition or type. For example, under this treatment, both human praxis and technical design can be viewed as comparable tools of domination. This chapter will provide a framework for the analysis of relations between any elements of the smart city, ranging from top-level urban management processes down to individual device operations. While we will illustrate the use of this schema through examination of ethical issues arising from power dynamics within the smart city, it is intended that this example will demonstrate the wider utility of the model in general

Orientation professionnelle affirmative auprès de clients transgenres et transsexuels : une perspective de justice sociale

The ongoing lack of scholarly attention to, and limited counsellor competence in, career counselling with transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals contributes to perpetuating the marginalization of these populations. The career-related challenges and disparity in career outcomes of TGNC populations have been documented. This article takes a social justice orientation to stir a transformation from within the field of career counselling. We first critically examine the applicability of career theories with TGNC clients, and review the strengths and limitations of the following three theories: Super’s developmental theory, Gottfredson’s theory of circumscription and compromise, and social cognitive career theory. We then propose an affirmative career counselling model, which (a) takes gender and intersectionality into account throughout the career counselling process, and (b) effectively integrates contemporary theories that address systemic factors. The article concludes with suggestions for future research, highlighting the need for collaborative, participatory research that leads to social change.Un manque constant d’attention pédagogique et une compétence déficiente des conseillers en ce qui concerne l’orientation professionnelle auprès des personnes transgenres et transsexuelles font en sorte de perpétuer la marginalisation de ces populations. Les défis de carrière et la disparité des résultats professionnels qui affligent ces populations sont bien documentés. Cet article, rédigé dans une perspective de justice sociale, vise à provoquer une transformation interne dans le milieu de l’orientation professionnelle. Dans un premier temps, nous examinons l’applicabilité des théories sur la carrière aux clients transgenres et transsexuels et passons en revue les points forts et les limites des trois théories suivantes : la théorie du développement de carrière de Super, la théorie de la circonscription et du compromis de Gottfredson et la théorie sociale cognitive de l’orientation professionnelle. Nous proposons ensuite un modèle affirmatif d’orientation professionnelle qui (a) prend en compte le genre et l’intersectionnalité tout au long du processus d’orientation professionnelle et (b) qui intègre efficacement les théories contemporaines abordant les facteurs systémiques. Le texte se termine par des suggestions de pistes pour de nouvelles recherches, soulignant au passage la nécessité d’une recherché collaborative et participative menant à un changement social