Page - (000048) - in Disrupted Development and the Future of Inequality in the Age of Automation

40 L. SCHLOGL AND A. SUMNER society at large, particularly consumers, respond to automation (and the potentially ensuing lay-offs)? Corresponding to these criteria, one could split the literature on automa- tion into different theoretical approaches. Much recent research has focused on the first criterion in Table 4.1: the technological feasibility of automa- tion. Yet, automatable tasks do not necessarily or instantly get automated: one can observe a set of tasks currently being carried out both by humans and machines in different contexts and places. Consider, for instance, sub- way drivers and autonomous subways, supermarket cashiers, and self-check- out machines, university lecturers, and online courses. The coexistence of automated and nonautomated modes of operation of the same task sug- gests that a narrowly technologically deterministic view is insufficient. There are less tangible—economic, political, social, and cultural—reasons to be factored in. Such factors up until now often seem to have been neglected in research on automation, but could be particularly important in the con- text of developing countries. Such factors not only determine if automation occurs but the terms of automation vis-à-vis governing institutions. Table 4.1 Determinants of the feasibility of automation Source Authors and references cited Dimension Factors Literature Technological Type and complexity of the task Engineering studies, “jobs at risk” studies (e.g. Arntz, Gregory, & Zierahn, 2016; Grace, Salvatier, Dafoe, Zhang, & Evans, 2017; McKinsey Global Institute, 2017a) Economic Economic risks and returns given capital and labor costs; intensity of competition Management/human resources and economics literature (e.g. Hall & Khan, 2003; Siegel, Waldman, & Youngdahl, 1997) Legal Labor and capital regulation (e.g. job protection); patents and their ownership Institutionalism and political economy (e.g. Acemoglu & Robinson, 2000; Parente & Prescott, 1994; Williams & Edge, 1996) Political e.g. unionization of the workforce; questions of public versus private ownership of production and technology Sociocultural e.g. corporate legitimacy and social expectations