Browsing by Author "Hirsh, R. F."
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Historians of Technology in the Real World Reflections on the Pursuit of Policy-Oriented HistoryHirsh, R. F. (Johns Hopkins Univ Press, 2011)Despite widespread acceptance of the notion that studies of the past provide tangible benefits, academic historians usually remain reluctant to apply "lessons" from history to the realms of public and business policy. This article suggests reasons for that reluctance while also suggesting that historians of technology can make valuable contributions to the policy community. In particular, these professionals can employ tools and insights developed in their field to highlight the social contexts in which technology evolves, helping decision makers understand why specific policies may or may not accomplish stated goals. The article also suggests means by which historians can influence policy, such as through their teaching, their writing and speaking to lay ! audiences, and their direct participation in government bodies. Due to institutional disincentives for this nontraditional activity, however, historians interested in policy work should already have acquired secure, tenured positions within their academic institutions.
- Momentum shifts in the American electric utility system: Catastrophic change - Or no change at all?Hirsh, R. F.; Serchuk, A. H. (Johns Hopkins Univ Press, 1996-04)
- Wind Turbines and Invisible Technology Unarticulated Reasons for Local Opposition to Wind EnergyHirsh, R. F.; Sovacool, Benjamin K. (Johns Hopkins Univ Press, 2013)Local opposition to wind turbines stems from concerns about environmental and economic damage, as well as conflicts between rural and urban residents. This essay goes beyond these considerations to explore the often-unarticulated explanations for animosity toward this energy technology. Originally, it posits that opposition to visually obvious turbines arises from the successful history of an electric utility system that made its product largely invisible in its manufacture and physical manifestation. The existence of conspicuous turbines, however, reminds observers that power generation requires difficult choices in a technology-based society. The system's previous achievement in hiding infrastructural elements, in other words, sometimes works ironically to spur objections to wind turbines. Receiving little historical study, the concealed features of a system's infrastructure often influence assessments of technologies. By revealing the previously invisible, this essay, which draws on research in history, landscape architecture, geography, and psychology, therefore provides insights for social scientists and policymakers.