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NSF: Information Technology, Culture, and Social Institutions
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Date: Wed, 9 Oct 1996 10:23:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: Les Gasser
National Science Foundation
Funding Opportunities in Information Technology, Culture, and Social Institutions
October 9, 1996
The development of information technologies and new types of digital content in all aspects of society has far exceeded our understanding about how these new technologies have reshaped social organization, work life, interaction patterns and culture. In response to this shortcoming, the Computer, Information Science, and Engineering directorate (CISE) and the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences directorate (SBE) as well as the Education and Human Resources directorate (EHR) are encouraging multidisciplinary proposals for research at the interface of behavioral and social science, education research and information technology. Proposals may be submitted on standard forms (see the Grant Proposal Guide, NSF 95-27) to existing programs (see the Guide to Programs NSF 95-138) as this notice calls attention to existing funding opportunities.
The proposed research should aim to advance our understanding of how information technologies shape and are shaped by the cognitive, social and cultural dimensions of groups, organizations, institutions, and societies. The driving force for this interaction is the widespread proliferation of distributed computing with vastly increased processing, communications, and storage capabilities. Research should seek to understand the impact of new forms of digital content and communications accessible to wide segments of society as well as national and global institutions such as nation states, multinational corporations and financial institutions. The methodological approach should be appropriate to the unit of analysis and research questions. For example, a study of the impact on culture might focus on understanding how people learn about and use information technology in real-life situations, or on the interacting technological, social, and organizational factors that facilitate or impede productive use and learning. A study of the impact of information technology on nation states might focus on the changing nature of sovereignty. Especially welcome are proposals that aim to develop general explanations, through grounded theory or other empirical approaches. Social science contributions to the design of systems affecting large segments of the population are also welcome. Examples include cognitive, cultural, economic, ethical, interpersonal, political, sociological and spatial factors that should be incorporated into systems designed for ordinary citizens.
We are interested in a broad range of studies on the behavioral, social and cultural dimensions of new information technologies. For example, some possible research topics are listed below:
-- Ethnographic studies of how information technologies legitimize people's identification with communities, and how human-computer dynamics in work- places structure the work process to affect productivity. -- Studies that examine economic institutions and organizations, including organizational structure; the links between technology, agent interaction, and productivity in firms and other organizations; and the impact of information technology on the co- evolution of economic institutions and cultural norms. -- Labor market issues related to information technology, including its impact on income distribution, labor force participation, investments in education and training, family structure and the allocation of resources within the family. -- Studies of the spatial and geographical implications and behavior associated with the spread and use of information technologies. -- Research to develop theories, methods, concepts, and principles that provide foundations for making large-scale, collaborative, content-rich applications effective in practice in their organizational and social contexts. -- Research that examines the operation, impacts, and usage patterns of organization-scale computing, content, and collaboration technologies with the aim of feeding back resulting knowledge into new technologies and new approaches toward integrating them in context. -- Research that examines the use of digital library resources in education, science, and technology. How does the immediacy and richness of digital libraries and their associated tools change the nature of research and education? How does the social conduct of science change and how can these changes best be accommodated? -- Studies of the research, design, development and implementation processes that bring new information technologies into existence, and the influence of such technologies on creativity, productivity, and social life in a variety of settings, including schools, work places, and homes. -- Research on how the cognitive capacities of humans interact with information technologies to facilitate or inhibit their use. -- Research to examine and evaluate ethical norms in the development and use of new information and communication technologies. -- Research on the roles that these technologies may play in social, cultural, political and economic conflict, for example strengthening the competitive position of some groups at the expense of others, or providing new arenas in which some human beings may exert power over others. -- Research to facilitate the development of laws and law-like rules regulating access to, use of, and outcomes of using information technology. -- Research on the impact of cultures and subcultures on the institutionalization and integration of information technology as an agent of change (for example, in schools and other workplaces. -- Research that examines the impact of information technology on quality and overall performance in organizations, e.g. through better integration with customers, process improvement, or better coordination of organizational subunits.
Planning grants of $20,000 - $50,000 for 12- 18 months are available to assist in the preparation of multidisciplinary proposals that might require collaboration between social and behavioral scientists and their counterparts in computer science and engineering. For example, social scientists may want to work with researchers in large, multidisciplinary NSF-funded projects focusing on information technologies such as the digital libraries, collaboratories, partnerships for advanced computing infrastructure (PACI), very high- performance network services (vBNS), Engineering Research Centers, and Science and Technology Centers. (see www.nsf.gov, www.cise.nsf.gov and www.eng.nsf.gov)
Other examples of possible research in the area of information technology and culture can be found in the workshop report "Culture, Society and Advanced Information Technology", available from the Computing Research Association (info@cra.org, fax: (202) 667-1066) or from the American Anthropological Association (peggy@mhs.compuserve.com, fax: (703) 528-3546), and on the World Wide Web at http://cra.org/Reports/Aspects/.
The foundation hopes to make about 10 awards in FY 1997 whose average duration is about 2-3 years and whose average total award size is $50,000 - $500,000, subject to available funds and proposals of high scientific merit.
Prospective applicants should consult one of the program officers listed below for relevant deadlines and target dates and application procedures.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Contact:
Computer And Information Science And Engineering (CISE): John Cherniavsky, , Office of Cross- Directorate Activities, (703) 306-1980, jchernia@nsf.gov
Cultural Anthropology: Stuart Plattner, SBER, (703) 306-1758, splattne@nsf.gov
Decision, Risk and Management Science: Jonathan Leland, SBER, (703) 306-1757, jleland@nsf.gov
Economics: Catherine Eckel, SBER, (703) 306-1753, ceckel@nsf.gov; Daniel Newlon, SBER, (703) 306-1753, dnewlon@nsf.gov
Education and Human Resources: Nora Sabelli, Division Of Research, Evaluation And Communication, (703) 306-1651, x5888, nsabelli@nsf.gov
Ethics and Values Studies: Rachelle Hollander, SBER, (703) 306-1743, rholland@nsf.gov
Geography: Thomas Leinbach, SBER, (703) 306-1754, tleinbac@nsf.gov Human Cognition and Perception: Joseph L. Young, SBER, (703) 306-1732 jyoung@nsf.gov
Information Technology & Organizations: Les Gasser, CISE, (703) 306-1927 lgasser@nsf.gov
Interactive Systems: Gary Strong, CISE, (703) 306-1928, gstrong@nsf.gov Law and Social Science: Harmon Hosch, SBER, (703) 306-1762, hhosch@nsf.gov
Networking & Communications Research: Darleen Fisher, CISE, , (703) 306-1949, dlfisher@nsf.gov
Political Science: Rick Wilson, (SBER), (703) 306-1761, rwilson@nsf.gov
Science & Technology Studies: Edward Hackett, SBER, , (703) 306-1743, ehackett@nsf.gov Social Psychology: Steven Breckler, SBER, (703) 306-1728, sbreckle@nsf.gov
Sociology: William Bainbridge, Social, Behavioral & Economic Research (SBER), (703) 306-1756, wbainbri@nsf.gov
Transformations To Quality Organizations: James W. Dean, Jr., SBER, (703) 306-1757, x7210 jdean@nsf.gov ```
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