MINT: Societal Impact of New Technologies

To understand the influence of technology on society in Zuid-Holland, DRIFT conducted the research project MINT (Societal Impact of New Technological Developments / Maatschappelijke Invloed van Nieuwe technologieën), commissioned by and in cooperation with the Province of Zuid-Holland.

The MINT project aimed to collect knowledge and insights related to the context of the province Zuid-Holland. The project focuses on developments in two strands of technologies: production and information technologies, and communication technologies. Using participatory techniques with a variety of groups from different networks, utopian and dystopian scenarios were developed in order to sketch a number of possible pathways forward.

This resulted in four stories and designs for the Province of Zuid-Holland, showing the influence and effects of new technologies on developments, possible discussion and cooperation partners, and ways and methods of transitioning towards adaptive governance. These results inform future (spatial) policy measures and provide input for the Province in order to facilitate governance decisions on subjects suitable for further investigation. Moreover, the project serves as the start of societal debate between the Province of Zuid-Holland and its citizens: how to move forward and handle the technological developments in this part of the Netherlands?

Do you want to know more about the societal impact of new technologies? Watch this video on the project or visit the website for the results of the exploration phase, the trends- and scenario-studies, workshops and events conducted and organised for the MINT project. Interested in reading the final report (in Dutch) of the MINT project? Read the (short) online version here or download the complete version here.

Duration of the project

The MINT project ran from April until December 2016

Client(s)/ Commissioning party

The Dutch Province of Zuid-Holland

DRIFT Team

Roel van Raak, Charlie Spork, Marleen Lodder, Marieke Verhagen