The Routledge Handbook of Smart Technologies: An Economic and Social Perspective

In the existing scientific literature, as well as in the media, there are a variety of terms and catchwords describing the emerging technology wave, such as "Digital Revolution", the "Fourth Industrial Revolution", or the "Race against the Machine". While all of them refer to the power of digitisation in information and knowledge management, the complementary innovations riding this new technology wave are either not defined in a clear-cut manner or are only partially addressed. In this handbook, the focus of the discussion is on "smart technologies" - understood as tools that "enabl[e] intelligence, processing, communication, and networking capabilities in all products, systems, and processes, influencing all parts of society" (Beernaert and Fribourg-Blanc, 2017). Within the scope of this handbook, a broad range of technological trends that reflect these properties, and in particular, artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, and cyber-physical systems, are covered to shed light on the associated potentials and challenges for the economy and society from the perspective of social, economic, natural and political sciences. This cutting-edge reference will appeal to a broad audience, including but not limited to, researchers from various disciplines with a focus on technological innovation and their impact on the socioeconomic system; students across different fields but especially from economics, social sciences and law studying questions related to radical technological change and its consequences, as well as, professionals around the globe interested in the debate of smart technologies and socioeconomic transformation, from a multi- and interdisciplinary perspective.