Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103236
Yuanyuan Lan , Zhihui Wang , Yuhuan Xia , Shasha Liu , Yi Liu
Although employees within organizations are increasingly interacting with artificial intelligence (AI), research on how employees' cognitive crafting with AI in the new environment is limited. Grounded in sensemaking theory, the purpose of our study is to investigate how and when employees' cognitive crafting with AI impacts their proactive behavior. We conducted a multi-wave survey with 315 employees from an information technology services company in Northern China to examine our theoretical model. The findings indicate that employees’ cognitive crafting with AI is positively associated with job meaningfulness, which in turn is positively related to their proactive behavior. Moreover, organizational care moderates the positive relationship between cognitive crafting with AI and job meaningfulness, as well as the indirect relationship between cognitive crafting with AI and proactive behavior via job meaningfulness. Our study makes both theoretical and practical contributions.
{"title":"Cognition to behavior? The impact of employee cognitive crafting with AI on proactive behavior","authors":"Yuanyuan Lan , Zhihui Wang , Yuhuan Xia , Shasha Liu , Yi Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although employees within organizations are increasingly interacting with artificial intelligence (AI), research on how employees' cognitive crafting with AI in the new environment is limited. Grounded in sensemaking theory, the purpose of our study is to investigate how and when employees' cognitive crafting with AI impacts their proactive behavior. We conducted a multi-wave survey with 315 employees from an information technology services company in Northern China to examine our theoretical model. The findings indicate that employees’ cognitive crafting with AI is positively associated with job meaningfulness, which in turn is positively related to their proactive behavior. Moreover, organizational care moderates the positive relationship between cognitive crafting with AI and job meaningfulness, as well as the indirect relationship between cognitive crafting with AI and proactive behavior via job meaningfulness. Our study makes both theoretical and practical contributions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 103236"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145975856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103231
Fengxiu Zhou , Yinfeng Chen , Chien-Chiang Lee
Amid the concurrent trends of global climate governance and digital transformation, digital service trade networks (DSTNs) have become instrumental in reducing carbon emissions and strengthening national competitiveness. Using panel data from 38 OECD and BRICS countries between 2010 and 2022, this study applies social network analysis to characterize the evolution of the global DSTN and empirically investigates how countries’ embeddedness within this network—conceptualized as participation and dominance—affects carbon emissions. The results demonstrate that deeper network embeddedness significantly mitigates emissions, with a one-unit increase in participation reducing emissions by 0.2 %–0.3 %, and a comparable rise in dominance leading to a reduction of 0.3 %–0.8 %. The carbon emission reduction effects exhibit spatial and temporal heterogeneity among OECD countries and in the pre-pandemic period. Further quantile regression results show that this effect is nonlinear. Mechanism tests reveal two distinct pathways through which embeddedness operates—participation fosters industrial scaling, whereas dominance promotes optimization of the energy structure, with synergistic effects further enhancing the reduction in emissions. Spatial econometric models also confirm significant positive spillovers, reducing emission intensity in neighboring economies by 0.6 %–24.8 %. This study proposes a digital-green synergy framework for climate governance, underscoring the importance of harmonized digital trade policies, facilitated technology diffusion, and integrated low-carbon value chains to advance global carbon neutrality.
{"title":"Leveraging digital service trade for a low-carbon future: The roles of network embedding, spillovers, and policy pathways","authors":"Fengxiu Zhou , Yinfeng Chen , Chien-Chiang Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103231","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103231","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Amid the concurrent trends of global climate governance and digital transformation, digital service trade networks (DSTNs) have become instrumental in reducing carbon emissions and strengthening national competitiveness. Using panel data from 38 OECD and BRICS countries between 2010 and 2022, this study applies social network analysis to characterize the evolution of the global DSTN and empirically investigates how countries’ embeddedness within this network—conceptualized as participation and dominance—affects carbon emissions. The results demonstrate that deeper network embeddedness significantly mitigates emissions, with a one-unit increase in participation reducing emissions by 0.2 %–0.3 %, and a comparable rise in dominance leading to a reduction of 0.3 %–0.8 %. The carbon emission reduction effects exhibit spatial and temporal heterogeneity among OECD countries and in the pre-pandemic period. Further quantile regression results show that this effect is nonlinear. Mechanism tests reveal two distinct pathways through which embeddedness operates—participation fosters industrial scaling, whereas dominance promotes optimization of the energy structure, with synergistic effects further enhancing the reduction in emissions. Spatial econometric models also confirm significant positive spillovers, reducing emission intensity in neighboring economies by 0.6 %–24.8 %. This study proposes a digital-green synergy framework for climate governance, underscoring the importance of harmonized digital trade policies, facilitated technology diffusion, and integrated low-carbon value chains to advance global carbon neutrality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 103231"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145975893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-11-04DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103145
Hang Zhou , Zihao Liu , Chengjie Huang
Driven by the rapid development of digital economy, corporate digital transformation has become a key strategy for gaining competitive advantages. However, substantive transformation often requires substantial investment. Facing resource constraints, some enterprises engage in digital washing, shaping an advanced image through selective disclosure of digital transformation information with less substantive investment. Based on an integrated framework of signaling theory and resource dependence theory, this study uses Chinese A-share listed companies from 2007 to 2023 as the sample and employs a two-way fixed effects model to examine the relationship between digital washing and corporate innovation. This study finds: (1) digital washing significantly promotes corporate innovation; (2) digital washing primarily enhances corporate innovation through two pathways: attracting R&D personnel and promoting strategic alliance construction; (3) under high market competition environments and when the proportion of directors with R&D background on the board is higher, the promotional effect of digital washing on corporate innovation is more significant. After multiple robustness tests including instrumental variable method and propensity score matching method, the above results remain valid. The research reveals that digital washing is not simply opportunistic behavior, but has intertemporal strategic value. Enterprises acquire external resources through a “say first, do later” strategy and transform them into substantive innovation. This finding provides important insights for enterprise management practices, investor decision-making, and regulatory policy formulation.
{"title":"Fake it till you make it: Digital washing and corporate innovation","authors":"Hang Zhou , Zihao Liu , Chengjie Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103145","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103145","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Driven by the rapid development of digital economy, corporate digital transformation has become a key strategy for gaining competitive advantages. However, substantive transformation often requires substantial investment. Facing resource constraints, some enterprises engage in digital washing, shaping an advanced image through selective disclosure of digital transformation information with less substantive investment. Based on an integrated framework of signaling theory and resource dependence theory, this study uses Chinese A-share listed companies from 2007 to 2023 as the sample and employs a two-way fixed effects model to examine the relationship between digital washing and corporate innovation. This study finds: (1) digital washing significantly promotes corporate innovation; (2) digital washing primarily enhances corporate innovation through two pathways: attracting R&D personnel and promoting strategic alliance construction; (3) under high market competition environments and when the proportion of directors with R&D background on the board is higher, the promotional effect of digital washing on corporate innovation is more significant. After multiple robustness tests including instrumental variable method and propensity score matching method, the above results remain valid. The research reveals that digital washing is not simply opportunistic behavior, but has intertemporal strategic value. Enterprises acquire external resources through a “say first, do later” strategy and transform them into substantive innovation. This finding provides important insights for enterprise management practices, investor decision-making, and regulatory policy formulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 103145"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145468965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103262
Matteo Zuch, Sergio Espina Carreño, Jacob Ladenburg
This study examines how spatial context and external framing shape public acceptance of solar photovoltaic (PV) across three placement options: residential rooftops, industrial buildings, and agricultural land. Using Denmark as a case study, it is among the first to provide cross-cutting evidence on within-technology spatial spillover dynamics and external question-order effects in solar PV acceptance. The analysis is based on a large-scale online survey (n = 3873) among the Danish population, including experimental design elements. Survey data are combined with individual-level geospatial measures, capturing exposure/proximity to existing PV infrastructure. Acceptance responses are analyzed in case-specific regression models to identify key determinants of public PV acceptance. The results reveal a clear acceptance ranking: PV on industrial buildings is most accepted, followed by residential rooftops and land-based installations. Individual exposure/proximity to existing solar farms significantly increases acceptance of industrial-rooftop PV, indicating positive within-technology spatial spillover effects. In contrast, higher local PV coverage reduces acceptance, particularly among non-owners, suggesting local saturation effects. Acceptance is also sensitive to framing, as the sequence of presented PV options systematically affects acceptance and conditions spatial effects. Overall, the findings emphasize that solar acceptance is highly context-dependent, shaped by individual experience, local characteristics, and external framing. By integrating detailed spatial measures, experimental elements, and placement-specific within-solar variations, this study advances existing energy acceptance research and offers actionable guidance for policymakers and energy planners. Implementing place-sensitive siting, tailored engagement mechanisms, and targeted communication processes can strengthen public support and facilitate the successful deployment of socially just solar energy pathways.
{"title":"Shining light on solar acceptance: Spatial context and question-order effects on public responses to solar placement options","authors":"Matteo Zuch, Sergio Espina Carreño, Jacob Ladenburg","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103262","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103262","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines how spatial context and external framing shape public acceptance of solar photovoltaic (PV) across three placement options: residential rooftops, industrial buildings, and agricultural land. Using Denmark as a case study, it is among the first to provide cross-cutting evidence on within-technology spatial spillover dynamics and external question-order effects in solar PV acceptance. The analysis is based on a large-scale online survey (n = 3873) among the Danish population, including experimental design elements. Survey data are combined with individual-level geospatial measures, capturing exposure/proximity to existing PV infrastructure. Acceptance responses are analyzed in case-specific regression models to identify key determinants of public PV acceptance. The results reveal a clear acceptance ranking: PV on industrial buildings is most accepted, followed by residential rooftops and land-based installations. Individual exposure/proximity to existing solar farms significantly increases acceptance of industrial-rooftop PV, indicating positive within-technology spatial spillover effects. In contrast, higher local PV coverage reduces acceptance, particularly among non-owners, suggesting local saturation effects. Acceptance is also sensitive to framing, as the sequence of presented PV options systematically affects acceptance and conditions spatial effects. Overall, the findings emphasize that solar acceptance is highly context-dependent, shaped by individual experience, local characteristics, and external framing. By integrating detailed spatial measures, experimental elements, and placement-specific within-solar variations, this study advances existing energy acceptance research and offers actionable guidance for policymakers and energy planners. Implementing place-sensitive siting, tailored engagement mechanisms, and targeted communication processes can strengthen public support and facilitate the successful deployment of socially just solar energy pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 103262"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-11-23DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103178
Tariq H. Malik , Yanmei Wang , Yifan He
This study examines the civil-military technology proximity-disclosure (PD) fit and its impact on the performance of civilian firms, with a comparative focus on China and the United States. In light of the growing global prominence of civil-military links, this research addresses the strategic tensions between technological proximity (access to military technologies) and technological disclosure (transparency to external stakeholders) in influencing firm outcomes. Leveraging data from 2651 civilian firms across 82 countries, the analysis reveals distinct patterns between Chinese and American firms. Chinese firms, characterised by high proximity and lower disclosure, demonstrate superior performance when they maintain proximity to military technologies and increase their disclosure. Conversely, American firms perform better when they enhance proximity to military technologies while maintaining high disclosure levels. These findings suggest that national contexts significantly shape the optimal PD fit for firm performance, challenging universal approaches to civil-military collaboration in a single universal model. The study contributes to institutional theory by showing how different logics of conformance and legitimacy affect technological integration and firm outcomes in varied political and economic environments. One side of the logic and legitimacy is conformance to the military imperatives, and the other side is conformance to the market imperatives. Policymakers and firms can leverage these insights to craft context-specific strategies for navigating the complexities of civil-military alliances.
{"title":"Civil-military technology proximity and disclosure balance for the civilian Firm's Performance: A comparative study","authors":"Tariq H. Malik , Yanmei Wang , Yifan He","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103178","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103178","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the civil-military technology proximity-disclosure (PD) fit and its impact on the performance of civilian firms, with a comparative focus on China and the United States. In light of the growing global prominence of civil-military links, this research addresses the strategic tensions between technological proximity (access to military technologies) and technological disclosure (transparency to external stakeholders) in influencing firm outcomes. Leveraging data from 2651 civilian firms across 82 countries, the analysis reveals distinct patterns between Chinese and American firms. Chinese firms, characterised by high proximity and lower disclosure, demonstrate superior performance when they maintain proximity to military technologies and increase their disclosure. Conversely, American firms perform better when they enhance proximity to military technologies while maintaining high disclosure levels. These findings suggest that national contexts significantly shape the optimal PD fit for firm performance, challenging universal approaches to civil-military collaboration in a single universal model. The study contributes to institutional theory by showing how different logics of conformance and legitimacy affect technological integration and firm outcomes in varied political and economic environments. One side of the logic and legitimacy is conformance to the military imperatives, and the other side is conformance to the market imperatives. Policymakers and firms can leverage these insights to craft context-specific strategies for navigating the complexities of civil-military alliances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 103178"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-11-26DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103179
John M. Betts , Ana-Maria Bliuc , Daniel S. Courtney
In the face of increasing online polarization, understanding the role of charismatic influencers in shaping public discourse is crucial for those developing mitigation strategies. This study investigates the impact of influencers on the dynamics of polarization in digital environments through agent-based modeling. We examine how an influencer’s charisma and the nature of their message (moderate vs. extremist) affect the ideological and affective dimensions of polarization. Our experiments simulated interactions within an artificial society, manipulating characteristics of the influencer and the society. The results indicate that charismatic influencers with extremist messages accelerate polarization, particularly in more open societies. By contrast, charismatic influencers with moderate messages can reduce the rate of polarization and promote the formation of clusters of moderate individuals in the society. This research highlights the complex role of influencers in either exacerbating or alleviating polarization, and the importance of strategic communication by those seeking to moderate extreme views to preserve democratic values in the digital age.
{"title":"The effect of charismatic influencers on polarization online: An agent-based modeling approach","authors":"John M. Betts , Ana-Maria Bliuc , Daniel S. Courtney","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103179","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103179","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the face of increasing online polarization, understanding the role of charismatic influencers in shaping public discourse is crucial for those developing mitigation strategies. This study investigates the impact of influencers on the dynamics of polarization in digital environments through agent-based modeling. We examine how an influencer’s charisma and the nature of their message (moderate vs. extremist) affect the ideological and affective dimensions of polarization. Our experiments simulated interactions within an artificial society, manipulating characteristics of the influencer and the society. The results indicate that charismatic influencers with extremist messages accelerate polarization, particularly in more open societies. By contrast, charismatic influencers with moderate messages can reduce the rate of polarization and promote the formation of clusters of moderate individuals in the society. This research highlights the complex role of influencers in either exacerbating or alleviating polarization, and the importance of strategic communication by those seeking to moderate extreme views to preserve democratic values in the digital age.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 103179"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103259
Mu Yang , Joseph Amankwah-Amoah , Chunjia Han
Despite the importance of online user innovation communities (OUICs) as venues for capturing novel ideas for innovation and new product development, little research has examined how idea characteristics, such as readability and complexity, interplay with firms’ implementation decisions and the advocacy of other community members. Drawing on stakeholder engagement theory and leveraging data from 11,985 ideas collected and 657 ideas implemented, this study investigates how user idea-contribution behaviors in OUICs influence performance. The findings indicate that idea complexity is negatively associated with both implementation and advocacy, whereas idea length is negatively associated only with implementation. Additional moderating analyses show that discussion of ideas can mitigate the negative effect of textual complexity. Taken together, these results underscore the importance of idea readability and offer direct implications for firms that manage and promote OUICs.
{"title":"Idea readability and complexity in online user innovation communities: Effects on implementation and advocacy","authors":"Mu Yang , Joseph Amankwah-Amoah , Chunjia Han","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103259","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103259","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the importance of online user innovation communities (OUICs) as venues for capturing novel ideas for innovation and new product development, little research has examined how idea characteristics, such as readability and complexity, interplay with firms’ implementation decisions and the advocacy of other community members. Drawing on stakeholder engagement theory and leveraging data from 11,985 ideas collected and 657 ideas implemented, this study investigates how user idea-contribution behaviors in OUICs influence performance. The findings indicate that idea complexity is negatively associated with both implementation and advocacy, whereas idea length is negatively associated only with implementation. Additional moderating analyses show that discussion of ideas can mitigate the negative effect of textual complexity. Taken together, these results underscore the importance of idea readability and offer direct implications for firms that manage and promote OUICs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 103259"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-02-05DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103256
Qingling Wu, Lihua Guo, Daming Li
Amid accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, understanding its impact on corporate shadow banking is crucial for financial stability. Using text analysis of annual reports from 10,013 firm-year observations of Chinese A-share non-financial enterprises (NFEs) between 2007 and 2023 to measure firm-level AI adoption, we find AI significantly expands the scale of corporate shadow banking activities. We trace this effect to a channel of distorted innovation, where AI enhances a firm's distorted innovation capacity while intensifying its distorted innovation tendency. Meanwhile, external shocks have affected this effect in terms of its mechanism. This effect is more pronounced for learning-based AI adoption and contributes to higher overall corporate financial risk. This study identifies micro-level channels linking AI to shadow banking engagement and heightened financial risk, offering evidence-based policy insights for optimizing AI deployment and mitigating systemic risks.
{"title":"Artificial intelligence and corporate shadow banking: Evidence from distorted innovation","authors":"Qingling Wu, Lihua Guo, Daming Li","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103256","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103256","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Amid accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, understanding its impact on corporate shadow banking is crucial for financial stability. Using text analysis of annual reports from 10,013 firm-year observations of Chinese A-share non-financial enterprises (NFEs) between 2007 and 2023 to measure firm-level AI adoption, we find AI significantly expands the scale of corporate shadow banking activities. We trace this effect to a channel of distorted innovation, where AI enhances a firm's distorted innovation capacity while intensifying its distorted innovation tendency. Meanwhile, external shocks have affected this effect in terms of its mechanism. This effect is more pronounced for learning-based AI adoption and contributes to higher overall corporate financial risk. This study identifies micro-level channels linking AI to shadow banking engagement and heightened financial risk, offering evidence-based policy insights for optimizing AI deployment and mitigating systemic risks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"86 ","pages":"Article 103256"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103143
Yao Yao , Yujie Cui , Gordon Liu
Medical innovation is vital for enhancing human health, but its rising costs raise concerns about cost-effectiveness. However, how to mitigate its economic impact often goes unaddressed. To address this issue, this study explores the impact of medical innovation on population health and healthcare spending, and examines the role of medical innovation competition in these effects. Using an instrumental variable approach with provincial-level panel data from China (2002–2019), we find that medical innovation significantly improves population health, with innovation competition enhancing this effect. Medical innovation also contributes to a higher share of healthcare consumption in GDP while reducing the financial burden on urban employee medical insurance funds, particularly when innovation competition is stronger. These findings have important policy implications, indicating that fostering a supportive environment for medical innovation and competition can enhance national health, stimulate healthcare consumption, and ease the financial pressures on medical insurance funds, especially for urban employees.
{"title":"The intended and unintended results of medical innovation and innovation race","authors":"Yao Yao , Yujie Cui , Gordon Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103143","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2025.103143","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Medical innovation is vital for enhancing human health, but its rising costs raise concerns about cost-effectiveness. However, how to mitigate its economic impact often goes unaddressed. To address this issue, this study explores the impact of medical innovation on population health and healthcare spending, and examines the role of medical innovation competition in these effects. Using an instrumental variable approach with provincial-level panel data from China (2002–2019), we find that medical innovation significantly improves population health, with innovation competition enhancing this effect. Medical innovation also contributes to a higher share of healthcare consumption in GDP while reducing the financial burden on urban employee medical insurance funds, particularly when innovation competition is stronger. These findings have important policy implications, indicating that fostering a supportive environment for medical innovation and competition can enhance national health, stimulate healthcare consumption, and ease the financial pressures on medical insurance funds, especially for urban employees.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 103143"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103227
Shuyi Wang , Hong Yao , Zijun Mao
Urban-rural integrated development (URID) is vital for fostering sustainable economic growth and social stability. Therefore, whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) promotes or hinders this process is of great importance to both academics and policymakers. Using panel data for 277 cities in China from 2012 to 2021, this study examines the impact of AI on URID. The results show that AI significantly promotes URID: a 1-unit increase in the AI level corresponds to a 0.243-unit rise in URID. Grounded in Resource Orchestration Theory, this effect unpacks three primary channels: optimizing digital resource allocation, enhancing green innovation capabilities, and boosting entrepreneurial activity. Furthermore, the effect exhibits a significant positive spatial spillover. This research deepens the theoretical understanding of the relationship between AI and URID. It also provides a scientific basis for policies using smart technologies to promote the two-way flow of resources, empowering sustainable development across urban and rural areas.
{"title":"Bridging the divide? Realizing urban-rural integrated development in the artificial intelligence era: Evidence from China","authors":"Shuyi Wang , Hong Yao , Zijun Mao","doi":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban-rural integrated development (URID) is vital for fostering sustainable economic growth and social stability. Therefore, whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) promotes or hinders this process is of great importance to both academics and policymakers. Using panel data for 277 cities in China from 2012 to 2021, this study examines the impact of AI on URID. The results show that AI significantly promotes URID: a 1-unit increase in the AI level corresponds to a 0.243-unit rise in URID. Grounded in Resource Orchestration Theory, this effect unpacks three primary channels: optimizing digital resource allocation, enhancing green innovation capabilities, and boosting entrepreneurial activity. Furthermore, the effect exhibits a significant positive spatial spillover. This research deepens the theoretical understanding of the relationship between AI and URID. It also provides a scientific basis for policies using smart technologies to promote the two-way flow of resources, empowering sustainable development across urban and rural areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47979,"journal":{"name":"Technology in Society","volume":"85 ","pages":"Article 103227"},"PeriodicalIF":12.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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