New article – An epistemology for democratic citizen science

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in co-creation, commons, transdisciplinarity

More than ever, humanity relies on robust scientific knowledge of the world and our place within it. Unfortunately, our contemporary view of science is still suffused with outdated ideas about scientific knowledge production based on a naive kind of realism. These ideas persist among members of the public and scientists alike. They contribute to an ultra-competitive system of academic research, which sacrifices long-term productivity through an excessive obsession with short-term efficiency. Efforts to diversify this system come from a movement called democratic citizen science, which can serve as a model for scientific inquiry in general. Democratic citizen science requires an […]

New article – Co-creation applied to public policy: a case study on collaborative policies for the platform economy in the city of Barcelona

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in co-creation, commons

This paper addresses how far co-creation methodologies can be applied to policy-making innovation in the platform economy. The driving question is how co-creation collaboration-based policy-making can increase diversity and strengthen the participation of actors. The analysis is based on a three-year case study on the platform economy in Barcelona, describing how co-creation dynamics contributed to the participatory definition of local public policies and agenda. The methodology is based on participatory design techniques, involving participant observation and content analysis. Results indicate that co-creation can increase participation diversity aligning academic, economic, and social viewpoints in policy innovation from a quadruple helix perspective. […]

New article – Messing with Merton: the intersection between open science practices and Mertonian values

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in co-creation, commons, transdisciplinarity

Although adherence to Mertonian values of science (i.e., communism, universalism, organized skepticism, disinterestedness) is desired and promoted in academia, such adherence can cause friction with the normative structures and practices of Open Science. Mertonian values and Open Science practices aim to improve the conduct and communication of research and are promoted by institutional actors. However, Mertonian values remain mostly idealistic and contextualized in local and disciplinary cultures and Open Science practices rely heavily on third-party resources and technology that are not equally accessible to all parties. Furthermore, although still popular, Mertonian values were developed in a different institutional and political […]

Dispositivos de información en la plaza (en el aniversario del 15M)

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in commons

Con motivo de celebración del décimo aniversario del 15M recupero algo que escribí cuando me pasé por la plaça Catalunya en repetidas ocasiones y me mezclé con lo que estaba pasando, y sobre todo me llamó mucho la atención cómo se presentaban y organizaban diferentes interacciones “asíncronas” de participación. Para el análisis en aquel momento me basé en fotografías de cada uno de los dispositivos físicos de información que se desplegaron, buscando su analogía con canales y herramientas digitales de aquel entonces. Aquí lo dejo, sin “retoques” a posteriori ;), como una especie supongo de homenaje nostálgico y como un […]

New article – Data for sustainable platform economy: connections between platform models and Sustainable Development Goals

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in commons, transdisciplinarity

In recent years, the platform economy has been recognised by researchers and governments around the world for its potential to contribute to the sustainable development of society. Yet, platform economy cases such as Uber, Airbnb, and Deliveroo have created a huge controversy over their socioeconomic impact, while other alternative models have been associated with a new form of cooperativism. In parallel, the United Nations are advocating global sustainable development by promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), considering elements such as decent work, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and fostering innovation. In any case, the SDGs have been also criticised for the […]

Crowdfunding and SDGs open data to accelerate knowledge about sustainability and citizen participation

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in commons, transdisciplinarity

Text originally published with Mayo Fuster for Springer Nature on 30/04/2020 In a still early context of releasing open research data in the Social Sciences, we present the results of a pioneering initiative that unites action research and open knowledge, developed in collaboration between the Dimmons research group of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and the Goteo civic crowdfunding initiative. It consists in a detailed dataset and its corresponding data descriptor in Scientific Data, containing various statistical details on 487 campaigns on Goteo.org that followed various crowdfunding modalities, in parallel to its relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. For this, through a process […]

(des)vestim(la): Art and responsible consumption

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in co-creation, commons, transdisciplinarity

Text originally published with Ricard Espelt for CCBLab on 04/02/2019 [versió català / versión castellano] Between art, research and data there is a broad and meaningful space for actions that, based on an inspiring theme, can activate collective creativity. What happens when different techniques and philosophies for the co-creation of knowledge lead us – once again, since that is where they originate – to the terrain of artistic creation, with the desire to generate reflection and extend an invitation to action typical of activism? Midway between action-research and artistic intervention, a group of interdisciplinary specialists came together at El Konvent […]

Ciència procomú i governança

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in commons, transdisciplinarity

Text original publicat pel fanzine “Acció política + Design Justice” de la Hackató de Ciència Ciutadana de Barcelona el 02/02/2019 Una de les possibles maneres de veure i entendre diferents paradigmes de participació ciutadana actuals en la ciència i la recerca, alhora que la seva vinculació amb polítiques públiques de ciutat, és des del prisma del Commons o “procomú”. Una mirada que ens permeti enfocar alhora el coneixement que es genera, el seu impacte social (més enllà de l’impacte acadèmic “per se”) i quins són els actors que hi participen en la seva gestació i desenvolupament. Si, per una banda, […]

Cultura de la co-creació i participació digital col·laborativa a Barcelona

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in commons

Text original publicat amb Mayo Fuster al blog de Dimmons 19/10/2018 La wiki-data-thon del dia 20 d’Octubre amb motiu de la biennal Ciutat Oberta de Barcelona vol ser un exercici per repensar junts i juntes què vol dir la co-creació de la ciutat. En aquest text tractarem d’oferir, primer, una sèrie d’elements característics del que podem entendre per això de co-creació de la ciutat, des de cert punt de vista, seguit d’una reconstrucció històrica (sempre incompleta) de la co-creació des de Barcelona. La co-creació d’una ciutat pot prendre moltes formes i modalitats. Per exemple des d’una perspectiva urbanística, qualsevol ciutat […]

Towards a data commons

Posted on Leave a commentPosted in commons, transdisciplinarity

Text originally published with Mayo Fuster for CCBLab on 15/10/2018 [versió català / versión castellano] The platform economy, a form of peer-to-peer, collaborative or sharing economy, can adopt very diverse models, which pose new challenges for society as well as new opportunities. From the commons models of free software communities or Wikipedia, based on the shared governance of communities, open knowledge and social responsibility, to the extractivist models of Uber or Deliveroo, with a form of governance that follows an extractivist logic, with closed technology and causing disruptive impacts, at the same time generating considerable controversies (like that seen recently in […]