General objectives – General learning outcomes

The course aims to make students understand the relationship of production systems, technology, and physical space of all levels, across time. It introduces students to new perspectives on the organization of production and the evolution of economic and social data in the Western world, with an emphasis on the discussion of the transition from Fordism to post-Fordism development models.

Knowledge gained

The knowledge that will be acquired concerns the relationship of society, technology and space during different periods. The concepts taught include technical-economic paradigms, the accumulation regime, regulation theory, flexible specialization, the concepts and phases of the economic history (in relation to the purpose of the course), Fordism, post-Fordism, economies of scope, the correlation of culture and technology, the production of space through the evolution of productive systems, the concepts of the Social State, the Social Wage, social conflicts and movements. This knowledge is attempted to be understood by their projection in space and their correlation with the structure of space and cities.

Skills

At these levels and in relation to the interface of the course with the other courses, students are expected to be able to understand the human society in a scientific way (through conducting a detailed discussion, research, collection and utilization of material, ie through the mechanisms of knowledge, especially data acquisition, selection, organization and synthetic presentation, understanding of the organizational principles of economies, especially in relation to the parameters of technology and space) and to formulate critical opinions in a reasoned way (in the sense of problem interpretation in an analytical way, the combination of knowledge and time comparisons) in serious evolutionary socio-economic-political issues and new ideas and predictions (explaining and composing), as well as to use this knowledge and skills for further study.

The general skills that the student must have acquired at the end of the course are:

– Search, analyze and compose data and information, using the appropriate technologies (where necessary).

– Adaptation to new situations

– Autonomous work

– Work in an interdisciplinary environment

– Production of new research ideas

– Respect for diversity and multiculturalism

– Promotion of free, creative and inductive thinking

The course aims to make students understand the relationship of production systems, technology, and physical space of scales, across time. It introduces students to the problematic of new perspectives on the organization of production and the evolution of economic and social facts in the Western world, with an emphasis on the problematic of the transition from Fordist to post-Fordist development models. In general, the restructuring characteristics of the economies in transition are examined, from the primitive era to the present (Knowledge Society), while special emphasis is attributed to technological developments that affect the evolution of techno-economic paradigms. This includes the key issues of technology policy and the process of innovation, as well as the social relations produced.

The content is articulated around the following sections:

Production systems, accumulation regimes, regulatory modes, spatiality, technology, Primitive era, Feudalism and slavery, The bourgeois revolution and the birth of capitalism, Industrial revolutions, Capitalism / Capitalism: Fordism, The Crisis of Fordism: Deregulation of Capitalism, The New Framework of Washington’s Consensus, Late Capitalism: Transforming, The Knowledge Economy, Industry 4.0, Spatial Restructuring.

The examination of the issues extends both to changes that occur at the microeconomic level (changes in the structure and production process of companies and how the factories themselves operate), and to changes that occur at the macroeconomic level (changes in the resulting accumulation regimes and development models) and their impact on society and its organization. Particular attention is paid to the spatial dimensions and effects of the above phenomena, and the correlation of production developments with the development of various levels of spatial units (local scale, regions), as well as the change of character and nature of these units. The spatial references of the course initially include the international divisions of labour from ancient times to the modern New International Division of Labor, and the corresponding subsequent international rearrangements, while at the smallest level to the “Third Italy”, “Second Denmark”, the Flemish Diamond, Silicon Valley, M4 Corridor, and other areas that are unique in their productive structure either because of high-tech development or because of the peculiar evolution of structures and relationships that develop in them, or because they evolved into learning regions.

Evaluation criteria Determination of severity

Contribution in class and attendance 20%

Written exams 80%

The way in which the evaluation is done is directly related to the learning outcomes, as the primary goal is the confirmation of the understanding and the consolidation of the concepts and the content of the course. With the written examinations, the understanding of the terms and concepts taught in the course (with multiple-choice questions, short answers, etc.) is checked and confirmed, while with short essays and problem solving the possibility of utilization and use of these concepts in real situations is checked.

The grading method, the conditions and the weighting factors are known to the students from the beginning, while the transparency is ensured by the ability of the students to see their answers and to ask for clarifications. In case of disagreement or objections, the procedure provided for all the courses of the Department is followed.

• Σημειώσεις για το μάθημα “Νέες Tεχνολογίες και Χώρος” ΤΜΧΠΠΑ ΠΘ (ανανέωση 2013) (διανέμεται φωτοτυπημένο
• Ματσουκάτο, Μ. Το Επιχειρηματικό Κράτος
• Σκάγιαννης,Π. (2004) “Τεχνολογία, Καινοτομία, και Αναδιάρθρωση του Χώρου”. Πρακτικά του 16ου Συνεδρίου της Ελληνικής Εταιρείας Επιχειρησιακών Ερευνών Β΄τόμος σελ. 539-547. Αθήνα: EEEE. (διανέμεται φωτοτυπημένο)
• • Liberaki, A. and Mouriki, A. (1996) The Silent Revolution, Athens: Gutenberg (in Greek).
• • “Aeihoros”, “TOPOS”, “Market without Frontiers” (Greek journals - various articles).
• • Occasionally, books and articles from the international and Greek bibliography are recommended, all of which are available in the electronic and physical library.