Stathis Arapostathis - Böcker

This diverse and insightful volume investigates changing patterns of knowledge management practices and intellectual property regimes across a range of different techno-scientific disciplines and cultures.The book links the practices and regimes of the past with those of contemporary and emerging forms, covering the mid-19th century to the present. The contributors are noted scholars from various disciplines including history of science and technology, intellectual property law, and innovation studies. The chapters offer original perspectives on how proprietary regimes in knowledge production processes have developed as a socio-political phenomenon of modernity, as well as providing an analysis of the way individuals, institutions and techno-sciences interact within this culture.With in-depth analysis, this book will appeal to academics and students of STS (Science, Technology and Society), history of science and technology, business history, innovation studies, law, science and technology policy as well as business studies. Historians of science and technology and business will also find much to interest them in this book.Contributors: S. Arapostathis, E. Bruton, B. Charnley, B. de Jonge, G. Dutfield, A. Fickers, P. Israel, M. Korthals, E. Kranakis, T. Lekkas, N. Louwaars, A.R. Maestrejuan, J. Mercelis, S.W. Morris, P. Munyi, S. Turchetti, H. van den Belt

This book examines the history and sociotechnical transformations of agrifood regimes in contemporary Greece.It presents a historical sociology of the Greek agrifood sector to decipher dependencies, sociotechnical dynamics, and paths that illuminate current challenges. It argues that no national sustainability policy can meet EU and UN targets without examining the historical construction of the agrifood system and its lock-ins. By analyzing key products—wheat, tomato, olive oil, pork, chicken, and fish—it captures production regime specificities while explaining the sector’s transition toward sustainability. The book describes structural transformations and the adaptation of European policies in Greece, emphasizing hurdles and resistance to alignment with EU objectives. Its longitudinal approach provides a deep understanding of sociomaterial and sociotechnical systems. At the same time it contributes a new innovative understanding of the sociotechnical imaginary of productivism in the agrifood sector. Situating Greek cases within broader European transitions, it highlights the contingencies and dynamics shaping the country’s path toward sustainable agrifood governance.This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of food and agriculture, sustainability, science and technology studies, and European politics and policy.

As nuclear energy experiences renewed global interest amid climate concerns and energy security challenges, understanding the social foundations of nuclear governance becomes increasingly critical for policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society organisations. This book explores the complex dynamics of trust, mistrust, and distrust in European nuclear energy and radioactive waste management through rigorous transnational, comparative, and historical analysis.Drawing on empirical cases from eight European countries—Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK—the contributors apply a sophisticated conceptual framework that distinguishes between trust, mistrust, and distrust across social, institutional, and ideological dimensions. The collection reveals how excessive trust can be as problematic as outright distrust, whilst demonstrating the democratic virtues of prudent scepticism and mistrustful civic vigilance in high-risk technological governance. It addresses critical gaps in social science scholarship by exploring when constructive mistrust transforms into dysfunctional distrust, examining trust dynamics in non-democratic contexts, and analysing the complex interactions between interpersonal, institutional, and ideological trust dimensions. Contributors provide context-sensitive analyses of nuclear waste governance, transboundary nuclear risks, and the evolution of civic engagement in nuclear policymaking.This volume will be essential reading for scholars of science and technology studies, public policy researchers, nuclear industry professionals, and policymakers seeking evidence-based approaches to participatory governance in high-risk industries. This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of Risk Research.