Society-nature-technology (SNT) nexus: Institutional causes and cures of national morbidities

Tariq H. Malik

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2019, vol. 146, issue C, 491-503

Abstract: This article explores a nexus between society, nature and technology (SNT) in the context of a biomedical problem-solution through innovation project for a new product development in the biopharmaceutical sector. The nexus implies that social intervention is an antecedent to and consequence of nature as a type of morbidity. The central proposition is that national morbidities are partially resulting of national institutions such as policy and culture, and the national institutions partially constitute the response to through industrialisation processes and cultural habits. Based on the data from China and India as two comparable socio-culture contexts, we draw on six types of national morbidities: diabetes, infections, cancer, hepatitis, respiratory dysfunction and hypertension. An analysis shows that diabetes and infectious diseases projects exist more in India; cancer, hepatitis and hypertension projects exist more in China; and contrary to prediction, respiratory dysfunction project appears more in India than China. There are some statistical differences between the North and South regions. The discussion explains the SNT nexus in a broader context suggests two types of interventions: preventive and curing. The preventive intervention comes before nature (morbidity), and the curing intervention occurs after the formation of morbidity. We suggest that preventive institutional intervention for education can be more effective than curing intervention. The prevention mechanism induces awareness; the curing mechanism induces treatment solutions. Our argument supports the social development as much as industrialisation, and not pure industrialisation alone.

Keywords: Society-nature-technology nexus; Clinical trial projects in China and India; Sugar versus salt cultures; Society, biology and cure; National morbidities and innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:146:y:2019:i:c:p:491-503

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2018.04.027

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