Science, Technology and Equity

Scientific research and innovation (R&I) have the power to change our world for the better but are hampered by often intersecting forms of inequity and exclusion based on gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, ability, geography and language, among others. Consequently, many of the problems identified, questions posed, and solutions pursued reflect the standpoints of the few, which compromise their ability to meaningfully respond to pressing global challenges. The limited standpoint of R&I has caused harm by, for example, concentrating clinical trials in the Global North and excluding populations most at risk of morbidity and mortality, and by practicing “data colonialism” — extracting digital data from marginalized populations without meaningful benefit or accountability. In another example, biases present in LLMs and recommender systems lead to biased impacts on medical treatment, health outcomes, and policing and incarceration, among others. And the theoretical foundations of many disciplines have been largely developed from WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) contexts, shadowing valuable contributions from others.

This session aims to foster dialog and advance our understanding of flaws in the system and innovative and equitable alternatives. We invite both theoretical/conceptual and empirical papers that address these themes and may focus on (not limited to):

• Exclusion and inequity in scientific research and technological innovation and their outcomes
• Equity and inclusion-centered approaches to scientific research and technological innovation outcomes
• The relationship of science and innovation policy to (in)equity
• The relationship of specific science reforms, focused on open science and replication/reproducibility, to (in)equity
• AI systems and associated technologies