Ann-Katrin Bäcklund

New Media Industry Development: Regions, Networks and Hierarchies - Some Policy Implications

Promotion of the new media industry has become a significant focus for regional development strategies, as it is generally believed that the new media industry is a highly desirable form of economic activity.But is this really so? The question was put to a group of international researchers. The article which summarizes their discussion and policy recommendations states that it is by no means clear that new media activities are preferable to other forms of economic activity in a region, which might be more sustainable or better address the specific development problems of an area. The interest being focused on a few successful sites has obscured wider questions regarding the spatial and geographical distribution of new media activities.

Science: policy interfaces in impact assessment procedures

Modelling tools used in impact assessment procedures can be regarded as tools for communication between science and policy. In order to create an integrated system for modelling not only the scientific components have to be in place but also the science/policy interfaces in the assessment procedures have to be identified and their social dynamics understood.

Exploring the Sustainability of Estonian Forestry: The Socioeconomic Drivers

Abstract Forestry as an important industry has both direct as well as indirect effects on the Estonian economy. It is therefore essential that it is sustainably managed so that it can continue to contribute to the economy in the future. The first aim of this article is to establish the situation regarding felling and regeneration in Estonia. As the available forestry statistics display discrepancies and lack consistency, it was as a necessary first step to gather information about and analyze the validity and reliability of the prime data to make the data sets useful for comparison over time and establish the current trends in Estonian forestry. However, with the help of interviews we are able to show that economic instability in Estonia brings with it increased logging rates and hinders investments into regeneration and maintenance. The problems are particularly pronounced in private forestry. Second, the article seeks to explain the socioeconomic reasons behind this situation. Economic problems among private owners, a liberal forestry policy, together with rapid land reform and weak enforcement of forestry legislation are some of the reasons that can explain the forestry trends in Estonia.

POST-INDUSTRIAL DIVISION OF LABOUR AS A SYSTEMIC BARRIER FOR IMMIGRANTS IN THE SWEDISH LABOUR MARKET

Abstract Differences in labour force participation and unemployment rates between indigenous populations and immigrants are common throughout Europe, but the gap seems to be particularly wide in Sweden. Based on studies of workplaces that traditionally employed large numbers of immigrants, but where they are now declining, it is argued that a driving force behind this process of exclusion is to be found in technological and organisational changes. These changes seem to be more pervasive in the Swedish labour market than in other economies in Europe. What is sometimes called the ‘Swedish model of working life’ has turned into the systemic exclusion of immigrant labour.

Customizing Technology Transfer: Lessons to be Learned from Comparative Cross Cultural Studies

This article highlights the old wisdom that technology is socially constructed. By using examples from a study of how German machinery manu-facturing firms and North American user industries act and think while developing and implementing advanced technology, and reflecting on these examples to elucidate Swedish manufacturing culture, the study highlights how knowledge about industrial behaviour can only be made visible by comparative studies, since only in relief - in contrast with something different - can the ‘taken for granted’ behaviour be identified. It is argued that identifying the prevailing industrial behaviour in a region opens up the possibility not only of identifying different strategies in inter-firm contacts but also of mastering them. Engineering that could ‘customize’ not only technology but also the interaction with customers and differentiate the service for different markets would have a competitive advantage.This article highlights the old wisdom that technology is socially constructed. By using examples from a study of how German machinery manu-facturing firms and North American user industries act and think while developing and implementing advanced technology, and reflecting on these examples to elucidate Swedish manufacturing culture, the study highlights how knowledge about industrial behaviour can only be made visible by comparative studies, since only in relief - in contrast with something different - can the ‘taken for granted’ behaviour be identified. It is argued that identifying the prevailing industrial behaviour in a region opens up the possibility not only of identifying different strategies in inter-firm contacts but also of mastering them. Engineering that could ‘customize’ not only technology but also the interaction with customers and differentiate the service for different markets would have a competitive advantage.