Governance of the Discontinuation of Socio-Technical Systems

该项目旨在更好地了解社会技术系统废弃的治理。到目前为止，社会技术系统的治理优先与进步和创新联系在一起。社会技术系统的中断最多被讨论为政权更迭、创新挫折或失败--好像进步和创新是社会技术发展和治理的唯一方向。然而，（过去和现在）也有相关的案例，有目的地中断社会技术系统及其周围的基础设施。最近停止使用的例子表明，在以下领域可以取得重大进展和政治势头：（1）核能;（2）汽车内燃机;（3）白炽灯泡;（4）合成杀虫剂滴滴涕。政府和公司目前投入大量资源来快速逆转这些系统。该项目将通过观察和分析相关机构、行为者网络、治理战略和国家途径，探讨对中断的治理。本项目将探讨在上述部门中，哪些终止形式和方式在经验上是真实的，哪些在原则上是可接受的。本项目开展的基础研究将提供指标和评估做法，以评估专门用于终止社会技术系统的治理干预措施。在此基础上，将率先提出一套反映专门的停产治理的备选方案和局限性的“停产治理做法”，供后续项目加以完善，为所有参与的行为体提供相关的战略情报。该项目将有助于首次彻底了解社会技术系统的中断是如何运作的，并确定对这种治理活动的选择和限制。

This project aims at a better understanding of the governance of the abandonment of socio-technical systems. So far, the governance of socio-technical systems has preferentially been associated with advancement and innovation. Discontinuation of socio-technical systems is, at most, discussed as regime change, innovation setback or failure-as if advancement and innovation was the only direction in which socio-technical development and governance would go.There are, however (in the past and in the present) relevant cases of purposeful discontinuation ofsocio-technical systems and their surrounding infrastructures. Recent examples of discontinuation indicate the significant pace and political momentum that can be acquired in such phenomena: (1) nuclear energy; (2) automotive combustion engines; (3) incandescent light bulbs; (4) the synthetic pesticide DDT. Governments and companies currently invest enormous resources into quick reversing of these systems. This project will look into the governance of discontinuation by observing and analysing relevant institutions, actor networks, governance strategies, and national pathways. The project will ask which forms and ways of termination are empirically real in the aforementioned sectors and which are thinkable in principle. The basic research undertaken with this project will provide indicators and appraisal practices for assessment of governance interventions dedicated to discontinuation of socio-technical systems. On this basis, a set of "discontinuation governance practices" reflecting the options and limitations of dedicated discontinuation governance will be pioneered for refinement in follow-up projects providing relevant strategic intelligence for all involved actors. The project will help to thoroughly understand, for the first time, how the discontinuation of socio-technical systems works and to define the options and restrictions on such governance activities.