Competing Concerns in Welfare Technology Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Welfare technologies (WT) such as telecare and service robots are expected to improve and even radically transform service delivery in health- and eldercare. Yet despite political awareness and financial investments, many studies report promising inventions that fail to become implemented on a larger scale. Current research draws a fragmented and heterogeneous picture of this problem, with divergent implications for practice. In this article, I review and discuss the extant literature and identify eight competing concerns that are central to how WT can become implemented on a large scale. By highlighting and contrasting practical and theoretical positions in this emerging and interdisciplinary research topic, I contribute conceptually to the understanding of the competing concerns in WT innovation that managers and policy-makers must balance in order to support the critical transition from small-scale invention to large-scale implementation.