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Technology

Technology Items

2018 and newer

Technology Futures: Projecting the Possible, Navigating What's Next

What lies ahead for us? Although the modern world allows us to know and control so many things, our collective future remains slippery. This seems particularly true this year, as we live through a global pandemic and amid countless existing environmental, economic and political uncertainties.

The future of work, office and technology in local government

After a stressful and unpredictable year or so, senior local government management are now assessing the impact of the pandemic on its workers and citizens. Temporary and emergency fixes are now under consideration for a much longer horizon. Listening to government technology leaders and other senior public managers, a few but certain predictions can be made.

Online Dispute Resolution: Perspectives to Support Successful Implementation and Outcomes in Court Proceedings

Court-based online dispute resolution (ODR) encompasses a vast and ever-growing array of technologies and processes that are used to resolve disputes in the legal system. ODR programs have been implemented widely in commercial environments to resolve disputes (e.g., on e-commerce website eBay), but since 2015, court-based ODR programs in the United States have expanded from a handful of exploratory pilots to countless programs in small and large courts alike.

Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2021

From breath sensors that can diagnose disease to wireless charging of low-powered devices, the 10th-anniversary edition of the World Economic Forum’s Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report lists new technologies poised to impact the world in the next three to five years.

Global Prison Trends 2021: Role and Use of Technologies

The past year has seen rapid advances in the use of technological solutions in prisons and wider criminal justice systems globally. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries turned to digital and other tools as a means of reducing the risk of transmission in places of detention through human contact and easing the burden on prison and probation staff. 

Getting to Net Zero: Increasing Clean Electrification by Empowering Demand

Published under the auspices of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Clean Electrification, this Insight Report invites policy-makers, regulators and investors to place greater focus on the demand side of the electricity system. It presents the technology, business models and system governance necessary to unlock flexible demand in the grid infrastructure to achieve a net-zero grid.

State and local government technology revs digital services

Perennially cash-strapped statehouses and town halls aren't typically associated with rapid technology adoption, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed their outlook.

Community Corrections Technology: Experts Identify Top Needs for Tech Solutions to Probation and Parole System Challenges

Experts identify top needs for tech solutions to Probation and Parole system challenges. Corrections agencies may turn to smart digital gear to better train and equip supervisors and monitor offenders to keep them on the path toward compliance.

The Future of Digital Spaces and Their Role in Democracy

Many experts say public online spaces will significantly improve by 2035 if reformers, big technology firms, governments and activists tackle the problems created by misinformation, disinformation and toxic discourse. Others expect continuing troubles as digital tools and forums are used to exploit people’s frailties, stoke their rage and drive them apart.

Chatbots RESET Framework Pilot Projects: Using Chatbots in Healthcare

Conversational AI is everywhere – in our phones and in devices scattered around our homes. Now this technology is rapidly being used in healthcare, which opens up incredible opportunities to increase healthcare access globally.

The U.S. Criminal Justice System in the Pandemic Era and Beyond

By the end of November 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was estimated to have resulted in the deaths of between 268,000 and 360,000 Americans.1 The spread of the disease  stressed  the  U.S.  health  care  system,  with  the  number  of  people  needing  care  over-whelming available resources in some parts of the country. Both the disease and the actions taken to respond to it stressed the country as a whole and had broad impacts on the economic system and government agencies at all levels.

Global Technology Governance Report 2021: Harnessing Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies in a COVID-19 World

An essential consideration for government, business and civil society is how technologies are harnessed and regulated to accelerate growth, encourage innovation and build resiliency in the wake of COVID-19. How governments and other stakeholders approach the governance of technologies will play an important role in how we reset society, the economy and the business environment.

Global Financial Stability Report, Covid-19, Crypto, and Climate

Financial stability risks have been contained so far, reflecting ongoing policy support and a rebound in the global economy earlier this year. However, the optimism that propelled markets earlier in the year has faded on growing concerns about the strength of the global recovery, and ongoing supply chain disruptions intensified inflation concerns. Signs of stretched asset valuations in some market segments persist, and pockets of vulnerabilities remain in the nonbank financial sector; recovery is uneven in the corporate sector.

Digital Culture: The Driving Force of Digital Transformation

Digital technology and business models are driving business disruption. The pandemic has accelerated this trend, making digital transformation critical for business success. However, it takes more than technology alone; leaders need to look at the human side of their organizations. Culture and the way people interact with technology are significant factors in digital success.

Experts Doubt Ethical AI Design Will Be Broadly Adopted as the Norm Within the Next Decade

Experts doubt ethical AI design will be broadly adopted as the norm within the next decade.
A majority worries that the evolution of artificial intelligence by 2030 will continue to be primarily focused on optimizing profits and social control. They also cite the difficulty of achieving consensus about ethics. Many who expect progress say it is not likely within the next decade. Still, a portion celebrate coming AI breakthroughs that will improve life.

Beware. Ransomware. Top Trends of 2021.

In 2021, ransomware attacks continued to be one of the most prominent threats targeting businesses and organizations worldwide. High-profile attacks disrupted operations of companies in various sectors, including critical infrastructure (Colonial Pipeline), food processing (JBS Foods), insurance (CNA) and many more. Following the attacks, pressure of law enforcement on ransomware gangs intensified, though simultaneously these threat actors continue to evolve.

Digital Currency Governance Consortium White Paper Series

This white paper series, composed of eight parts, explores numerous critical topics related to CBDC and stablecoins, including an evaluation of their value proposition for the under-served, identification of key policy and regulatory actions, and discussion of salient technology considerations and trade-offs.

It aims to inform policy-makers, digital currency issuers, financial and civil society organizations, and other stakeholders as to the capabilities, risks, policy imperatives and key technology choices with respect to rapidly evolving stablecoins and CBDC.

Community Supervision in a Digital World, Challenges and Opportunities

In June 2020, RAND and University of Denver staff conducted an expert workshop on com-munity supervision in a digital world. The workshop was convened to identify high-priority technology and policy needs related to supervising individuals in an increasingly digital world. This report presents the proceedings of that workshop, topics considered, needs that panel participants developed, and overarching themes that emerged from the panel discussion.

Shared Guiding Principles for Digital Health Inclusion

The Shared Guiding Principles for Digital Health Inclusion set out in this report complement the larger principles of the EDISON Alliance in order to encourage thoughtful action in its focus areas of finance, education and health. The principles serve as a guide for partnerships in digital healthcare, aiming to raise questions of inclusion at the inception of a project, maximize the opportunities of digitally-enabled medicine and chart a course for responsible and inclusive innovation in connected care.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 4.0: A Toolkit for Leaders to Accelerate Social Progress in the Future of Work

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Toolkit explores the practical opportunities and risks that rapidly emerging technologies represent for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The toolkit outlines how technology can help reduce bias from recruitment processes, diversify talent pools, and benchmark diversity and inclusion across organizations. Research is also cited that suggests well-managed diverse teams significantly outperform homogenous ones over time, across profitability, innovation, decision-making, and employee engagement.

Managers, Here's How to Be a Better Ally in the Remote Workplace

Recent research shows that people who have at least one ally at their job are nearly twice as likely to be satisfied and feel like they belong. As a manager, you have a unique opportunity to be role a model in building inclusion across teams, but you may face unique challenges in remote or hybrid settings.

Check out previous Environmental Scans

The National Institute of Corrections publishes this compilation of resources each year as an overview of what research indicates to be the trends in the corrections industry each year.
Accession Number: (2018) 033176, (2019) 033431, (2020) 033563, (2021) 033670