Conclusions

C o n t e n t s


Introduction

Chap. One

Chap. Two

Chap. Three

Chap. Four

Chap. Five

Chap. Six

Chap. Seven

Chap. Eight

Chap. Nine

Bibliography


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Information Society as a catalyst for change and innovation is more than a technical fix of problems, it is a tool for enabling people to participate in the processes of social and economic renewal. While recognising the change as a fundamental human condition, we must also recognise that change takes place in the real world of work, living and learning, and technological innovations cannot be divorced from the social dimension of these realities. It is this dynamic interdependence of the technical and the social which is at the heart of the debate on knowledge networking and social cohesion.

The report reflects on some of the core issues of social cohesion, such as shared communication and shared knowledge, local-global nexus, local specificity and global integration, subsidiarity and cohesion, diversity and coherence, the inter-linking of social knowledge and the scientific knowledge. It also reflects on the risks arising from the emphasis on quantity and standardisation of information, the implication of the "one best way" of knowledge; the mismatch between the production of knowledge and its diffusion in wider society; and the gap between the expert and the citizen.

Essentially the human centred vision of social cohesion is concerned with the central question: What does Information Society mean to the citizen of Europe and what is required to make ICTs work for society and social cohesion? The report argues that we need a broad social agenda of social cohesion and knowledge networking.

We propose a research agenda of knowledge networking which envisions knowledge as the core resource for participation and social innovation. This knowledge centred view of cohesion refocuses our view of information society from technology transfer to knowledge transfer; from managing the technical knowledge base to the building and continually servicing of the socio-technical knowledge of society; from designing technical interfaces to building tools for socio-communication.

A way forward is to develop new network alliances between universities (including other centres of scientific knowledge bases) and the civic society to integrate the scientific knowledge base of the university and its expertise into broader social base of society. The human centred network model presented in this report provides a basis for further research into knowledge networking and social cohesion.

The recommendation for a forum on social wealth is aimed at meeting some of the challenges of information society which arise from increasing unemployment and insecurity undermining the very sustainability of societies.