Sure, my neighbour Joe knows best

an article by Karoliina Knuuti for ELM Magazine Theme Issue: Adult Education and Megatrends 3/2019


In an age emphasising the freedom of the individual, from all the available information people select what supports their own prejudices. In the science community, this phenomenon is called cherry-picking. Picture: Unsplash.

An increasingly vocal section of Europeans believe in themselves or their neighbour more than they do researchers. Why does talking from experience outdo scientific knowledge?

First the good news: in Europe the faith of citizens in the scientist continues to be very good. We perhaps doubt politicians but not scientists.

Now the bad news: an increasingly vocal section of population throughout Europe believes more in their own experience or that of their neighbour than in experts or researched knowledge.

In discussing science, a split into different camps is evident. There are climate sceptics and vaccine critics. Creationists question the theory of evolution. Smear campaigns are being targeted at scientists, the aim of which is to eat into their credibility.

Stridency and confrontation reflect the current culture of discussion.

The rules of persuasion and assertion have changed

In his classic work, Rhetoric, Aristotle named three factors that form the foundation of all speech and persuasion. They are ethos, logos and pathos, in other words the credibility, reasoning and emotions of the speaker.

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Pensions planning in the UK: A gendered challenge

an article by Liam Foster and Martin Heneghan (University of Sheffield, UK) published in Critical Social Policy Volume 38 Issue 2 (May 2018)

Abstract

Gender differences in the accumulation of pension savings are well documented.

Work in this field has concluded that while differing lifetime work profiles (and family history) explained much of the difference, other factors such as pension knowledge and confidence in decision-making, may also be significant.

This research, commissioned by the Fawcett Society and funded by Scottish Widows, explores some of these factors through the use of 30 semi-structured interviews and a focus group with women (aged 24–39) about their attitudes and motivations towards pension saving. It concentrates on discussions around pension knowledge, advice and decision-making, and identifies challenges in relation to women’s pension knowledge and the use of male ‘role models’ in making decisions.

The article then explores potential policy mechanisms to enhance women’s pension saving for retirement, including the manner in which information and advice is provided and strategies to improve confidence in pension decision-making.

Full text (PDF 22pp)

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Automating judgment? Algorithmic judgment, news knowledge, and journalistic professionalism

an article by Matt Carlson (Saint Louis University, USA) published in New Media & Society Volume 20 Issue 5 (May 2018)

Abstract

Journalistic judgment is both a central and fraught function of journalism.

The privileging of objectivity norms and the externalization of newsworthiness in discourses about journalism leave little room for the legitimation of journalists’ subjective judgment. This tension has become more apparent in the digital news era due to the growing use of algorithms in automated news distribution and production.

This article argues that algorithmic judgment should be considered distinct from journalists’ professional judgment.

Algorithmic judgment presents a fundamental challenge to news judgment based on the twin beliefs that human subjectivity is inherently suspect and in need of replacement, while algorithms are inherently objective and in need of implementation.

The supplanting of human judgment with algorithmic judgment has significant consequences for both the shape of news and its legitimating discourses.

Before I even glanced at the full text my head was reeling. Yes, humans make mistakes but not as often as a badly written algorithm which will get it wrong every time.

Full text (PDF 18pp)

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Distances, multinational organisational learning, and firm performance: a new perspective

an article by Philipp Metz (Dresden University of Technology, Germany) published in International Journal of Business Environment Volume 9 Number 2 (2017)

Abstract

In the international business literature, the impact of organisational learning on firm performance in the multinational context is broadly discussed. However, oversimplifications and inconsistencies in theories and empirical analyses to explain the phenomenon hinder overall understanding of a supposed beneficial influence.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss when multinational organisational learning generates positive implications for firm performance, in contrast to an observable taken-for-granted positive impact inherent in current research.

Drawing on distance dimensions' influence, I revisit the assumptions of the effect of traditional geographic, cultural, and psychic distances on the positive impact of multinational organisational learning on firm performance and offer revised assumptions of the effect of newly identified, contemporary strategic, communication, and content distances. I thus address the importance of the strategic roles of organisational units, their connectivity, and perceptions of various knowledge contents.

The implications for further research and practice are also discussed.

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Ignorance management in hospitals

an article by Maximiliane Wilkesmann (TU University of Dortmund, Germany) published in VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems Volume 46 Issue 4 (2016)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how professionals, like doctors, deal with their ignorance? Which strategies do they apply? How can the organization support activities that encourage dealing with ignorance in a positive way? The paper shows how ignorance can be managed in professional organizations like hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach
To explore this touchy subject, the research follows a sequential mixed method design. The advantage of combining research methods is the opportunity to explore an uninvestigated research field. In the first exploratory research sequence (empirical study 1) preliminary questions were defined by means of 43 qualitative semi-structured interviews with hospital physicians and literature analysis. The results of the qualitative content analysis also served as a starting point for the development of a Germany-wide online-questionnaire survey with more than 2,500 physicians (empirical study 2).

Findings
The results show that breaks, a lack of negative organizational constraints, collective learning, positive role models and intrinsic motivation have the highest impact on ignorance sharing of physicians in hospitals. In reverse, negative organizational constraints, distrust, a lack of intrinsic motivation and omitting the implementation of evidence-based insights in terms of collective learning have the highest impact on hiding ignorance. These findings help to manage ignorance in a positive way.

Originality/value
Physicians all over the world have to deal with incomplete information and ignorance in their daily work. Mostly, they have no time and/or resources to gather all relevant information before they make a diagnosis or administer a therapy. It is quite evident that scientific discourses on knowledge management and professions mostly emphasize the power of expertise and knowledge, whereas research on ignorance is currently more or less neglected. This paper is one of the first attempts to overcome this research gap.

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Knowledge-based Hierarchies: Using Organizations to Understand the Economy

Occasional Paper Number 43 (October 2014) from the Centre for Economic Performance by Luis Garicano and Esteban Rossi-Hansberg

Abstract

We argue that incorporating the decision of how to organise the acquisition, use, and communication of knowledge into economic models is essential to understand a wide variety of economic phenomena.

We survey the literature that has used knowledge-based hierarchies to study issues like the evolution of wage inequality, the growth and productivity of firms, economic development, the gains from international trade, as well as offshoring and the formation of international production teams, among many others.

We also review the nascent empirical literature that has, so far, confirmed the importance of organisational decisions and many of its more salient implications.

Full text (PDF 47 pp)

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Defining ‘knowledge’ in vocational education qualifications in England: an analysis of key stakeholders and their constructions of knowledge, purposes and content

an article by Ann-Marie Bathmaker (University of Birmingham, UK) published in Journal of Vocational Education & Training Volume 65 Issue 1 (March 2013)

Abstract

What is meant by ‘knowledge’ in vocational education qualifications and who decides?

These are significant questions in a context where ‘skill’ is the prevailing discourse.

This paper reports on a research project, undertaken in 2010–2011, which investigated the role of national stakeholders in defining knowledge in vocational education qualifications at levels 2 and 3 in the English qualifications framework.

The paper explores who the key constituencies were at this point in time, and how they conceptualised the purpose and content of vocational education qualifications. The study found a complex mix of stakeholders involved in design and regulation of qualifications, but it was difficult to discern who took responsibility for knowledge beyond qualification awarding bodies.

While concern was expressed about the dominant role of employers, other constituencies such as higher education subject specialists and teachers were missing. There was a lack of consensus amongst stakeholders about the purposes of vocational education qualifications, and uncertainty about their role as preparation for both work and further study.

The study indicates the complicated and unstable state of knowledge in vocational education qualifications. It is argued that knowledge needs to be considered in greater depth as part of qualification design, so that vocational qualifications genuinely enable progression, whether to employment or to higher levels of education.

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Theorising the Spaces of Student Migration

an article by Parvati Raghuram (Department of Geography, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK) published in Population, Space and Place Special Issue: International Student Migration Volume 19 Issue 2 (March/April 2013)

Abstract

Student migration is a key component of knowledge migration. However, as knowledge becomes a central part of migrant selectivity, labour and family migrants too are involved in knowledge acquisition, both prior to and after migration.

At the same time, student migrants are involved in work and family, just like other migrants.

What then is distinctive about student migrants?

This paper attempts to address this challenge.

It begins by reviewing how migration theories have analysed student mobility. It then suggests that migration theorists need to extend existing analyses, which have primarily focused on the spatialities of migration, to take account of the spatialities of knowledge. It is argued that knowledge institutions need to reach out to people in different parts of the world and to produce in prospective students a desire to circulate. This is necessary if the institutions are to obtain a global presence and to maintain their legitimacy as knowledge brokers.

An analysis of student migration where the inducements that the higher education institutions offer to prospective students and the subjective responses of such students to these invitations will throw light on how the spatiality of knowledge is achieved and also highlight the distinctiveness of student migration in a knowledgeable migrant world.

Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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‘I Might not Live That Long!’ A Study of Young Women’s Pension Planning in the UK

an article by Liam Foster (University of Sheffield, UK) published in Social Policy & Administration Volume 46 Issue 7 (December 2012)

Abstract

There has been considerable concern about levels of pension saving especially given increases in longevity and rising pension deficits. In particular, the prospects of many future female pensioners have been questioned.

As pensions are determined by contributions throughout the life course it is imperative to comprehend the attitudes, knowledge, expectations and savings habits of people from an early age to explore why under-saving occurs.

This is particularly pertinent given recent governments’ emphasis on individual responsibility for financial provision in retirement. However, there is little research which focuses specifically on young women’s attitudes or planning towards pensions despite considerable concern about the future of women’s pensions.

This article considers young women’s (18–30) attitudes towards pensions and whether they differ according to socio-economic status by using interviews with 15 women (five in routine and manual occupations, five intermediate, five professional and managerial) about how knowledge and choice, trust, responsibility, risk and uncertainty impact on their pension decisions.

It is evident that the ability and willingness of people to contribute to a pension depends, among other things, on the pension offered by employers, the pension requirements in place and immediate financial needs.

Therefore this article shows that pension policy needs to take into account women’s employment histories, which are often fragmented and diverse, when considering young women’s attitudes towards pension saving.

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Rethinking public ownership and participation

an article by Andrew Cumbers and Robert McMaster (based in the University of Glasgow, UK) published in On the Horizon Volume 20 Issue 3 (2012)

Abstract

Purpose
This paper seeks to challenge the simplistic formulation of public ownership in terms of centralized planning and state bureaucracy. Instead, drawing on the works of Dewey and Veblen the paper aims to argue that public ownership is a critical aspect of forging progressive change through enhancing democratic participation in economic decision-making.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a conceptual analysis of public ownership types and employs case examples to further illuminate the argument.
Findings
The conceptual analysis challenges the supposition of market superiority in standard economic approaches and in neoliberalism. Drawing from the instrumental valuation principle a wide corpus of public ownership modes can offer the prospect of enhanced democratic participation that challenges existing power structures.
Originality/value
By emphasising the association between ownership and democracy the paper challenges the assumption that markets necessarily offer the only route to democratic participation. It also identifies and challenges the market fundamentalism of standard economic approaches.

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Translating Facts Into Knowledge

 an article by Soraya Umewaka published in Mind, Brain, and Education Volume 5 Issue 1 (March 2011)

Abstract

Many education systems have a tendency to be limiting and rigid. These systems teach children to value facts over knowledge and routine and repetition over playfulness and curiosity to seek knowledge. How can we unleash our children's imagination and permit them to use play and other creative tools as a means of learning? This article proposes new ways to tackle this old problem.

Hazel’s comment:
I  tried, really tried, to find a copy of the full article which would not require you to part with money and I have finally succeeded.
Read it here. (HTML)

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Who says we know: an original essay for Edge by Larry Sanger

If you haven't come across Edge before allow me to introduce you to a non-academic, but never simplistic, source of philosophical debate. Edge's mission is to:

To arrive at the edge of the world's knowledge, seek out the most complex
and sophisticated minds, put them in a room together, and have them ask each
other the questions they are asking themselves.

In the most recent publication my mind stuck on "everybody knows". Sanger tells us that: "Everybody knows that Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth, that 2+2=4, that most people have two eyes." I will admit, however, that the reason I got stuck on this phrase was that I regularly say to the significant other in my life (aka husband not dog) "well, I'm not everybody". He seems to assume that the knowledge that in his head is also in mine. OK, 2+2=4. The inner workings of a computer? Forget it - I don't even understand the words he uses.

What is knowledge? How do we "know" what we know? Or, as Sanger titles his essay, "Who says we know".

In the Middle Ages, we were told what we knew by the Church; after the printing press and the Reformation, by state censors and the licensers of publishers; with the rise of liberalism in the 19th and 20th centuries, by publishers themselves, and later by broadcast media—in any case, by a small, elite group of professionals.
But we are now confronting a new politics of knowledge, with the rise of the Internet and particularly of the collaborative Web—the Blogosphere, Wikipedia, Digg, YouTube, and in short every website and type of aggregation that invites all comers to offer their knowledge and their opinions, and to rate content, products, places, and people. It is particularly the aggregation of public opinion that instituted this new politics of knowledge.