Reconfiguration, Contestation, and Decline Conceptualizing Mature Large Technical Systems

• Published in: Science, technology, & human values Vol. 43; no. 6; pp. 1066 - 1097
• Main Authors: Sovacool, Benjamin K., Lovell, Katherine, Ting, Marie Blanche
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE 01.11.2018; SAGE Publications
• Subjects: history of technology; sociotechnical networks; large-scale infrastructure; megaprojects

Large technical systems (LTS) are integral to modern lifestyles but arduous to analyze. In this paper, we advance a conceptualization of LTS using the notion of mature “phases,” drawing from insights into innovation studies, science and technology studies, political science, the sociology of infrast...