Paul Manuel Aviles Baker
Senior Director of Research, Center for Advanced Communications Policy; Interim COO, CDAIT
Member Of:
- Center for Advanced Communications Policy
- School of Public Policy
Email Address:
paul.baker@gatech.eduRelated Links:
Overview
Paul M.A. Baker, Ph.D., is the Senior Director, Research and Strategic Innovation at the Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), and Chief Operating Officer, Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT). He is also a Principal Research Scientist with the School of Public Policy. Previously he was the Associate Director of the Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U). Aside from exploring the diffusion innovation and policy in IoT, recent research projects include innovation driven workforce development, mapping the role of intermediaries in innovation networks, usability of voting technologies, implementation of accessible technologies. His work in policy studies include barriers to the adoption of wireless technologies by people with disabilities, teleworking and people with disabilities; social media innovation, online collaboration and virtual communities. He is also involved in international policy research and collaborative policy networks, especially as it relates to issues of technology and usability policy, workforce development and innovation diffusion.
Baker holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Mason University, a Master’s degree in Theological Studies from Emory University, M.P. in Urban Planning from the University of Virginia, and an M.A. in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University. He has served on a variety of national boards and panels, and as a grant proposal reviewer for U.S. Department of Education, the Academy of Finland, the Israel Science Foundation, and the NTIA, US Department of Commerce. He serves also on editorial boards and as a reviewer for 15 journals. His co-edited (with Jarice Hanson and Jeremy Hunsinger) volume, “The Unconnected: Social Justice, Participation, and Engagement in the Information Society” was published in 2013.
Education:
- Ph.D., George Mason University, Public Policy
- M.T.S., Emory University, Theological Studies
- M.A., George Mason University, International Commerce and Policy
- M.P., University of Virginia, Urban Planning
- B.S., University of Wisconsin, Zoology
Interests
Research Fields:
- Digital Media
- Emerging Technology and Security
- Global Cities and Urban Society
- Information and Communications Technology Policy
- S&E Organizations, Education, Careers and Workforce
- Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy
- U.S. Society and Politics/Policy Perspectives
Geographic
Focuses:
Focuses:
- Europe
- Latin America and Caribbean
- North America
- South America
- United States
Issues:
- Aging
- Communication
- Communication Policy
- Community engagement
- Diffusion of Technology
- Digital and Mixed Media
- Disability
- Education Policy
- Emerging Technologies - Innovation
- Governance
- Higher Education: Teaching and Learning
- Innovation
- International Collaboration and Partnership Development
- Internet Studies
- Perspectives on technology
- Religion and Politics
- Technology
- Technology Management and Policy
- Usability
Recent Publications
Journal Articles
- Innovation and Digital Connectivity: Comparative Policy Approaches for Connecting Rural Communities in the United States and Canada
In: Choices magazine [Peer Reviewed]
Date: August 2022
- Assistive Technology
In: Wireless RERC State of Technology Forum 2021 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2022
- Personas, the Pandemic, and Inclusive, Synthetic, Smart City Planning
In: International Journal of E-Planning Research (IJEPR) [Peer Reviewed]
Date: 2022
In the era of COVID-19 planners, and more broadly, city administrators and policy makers, have learned to cope with the accelerated pace of change, the broad band of uncertainty, and the need for rapid decision-making strategies. This, in the context of ever more diverse communities and greater reliance on technology as an effective response to the social and public health challenges of the pandemic. “Smart” cities harness distributed communication and service delivery technologies to enhance the quality of urban life. The voices of citizens from marginalized and under-served populations, such as older adults and people with disabilities, are vital to the development of inclusive smart cities. In this paper expanding an inclusive policy design approach is proposed that uses ‘personas’ to actively engage those citizens.
- Industry 4.0/Digitalization and Networks of Innovation in the North American Regional Context
In: European Planning Studies [Peer Reviewed]
Date: August 2021
Chapters
- Context Driven Policy Design: Inclusion and the Internet of Things (IoT)
In: Handbook of Internet and Public Policy [Peer Reviewed]
Date: August 2023
Conferences
- Diversities of Digital Connectivity: Comparing Approaches for Connecting Rural Communities in the United States and Canada
In: International Political Science Conference (IPSA), 26th World Congress of Political Science, Virtual, July 2021 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: July 2021
Rural broadband connectivity has been an ongoing challenge in the United States (US) and Canada. Initiatives to incent connectivity have been funded by government, the private sector and some combination thereof. What are the variety of policy approaches for promoting and funding connectivity in these countries? Which intermediaries are involved in these initiatives? What results have emerged? This paper will leverage a comparative approach to identify and assess the modalities, intermediaries and expenditure profiles (private-public) to promote rural broadband connectivity.
- Platforms, Pandemics and Policy: Technology Innovation and the Internet of Things
In: International Political Science Conference (IPSA), 26th World Congress of Political Science, Virtual, July 2021 [Peer Reviewed]
Date: July 2021
One of the more interesting developments arising from the emergence of digital and wirelessly connected technology-based innovations, is the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT, in reality an ecosystem, or context, of interoperable technologies has already begun to significantly impact the operation of industry and government as well as daily living activities for individual users. With the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of institutions, including industries and other economic sectors, suffered disruption, which offered an opportunity to observe how IoT devices were adopted and deployed in a variety of innovative ways to address or mitigate these conditions. This paper draws on an analysis of industry and academic publications to examine economic, technological and associated policy changes that affect the design and development of IoT technology, and the consequential social and community impacts. Conditions arising from the pandemic are examined with an emphasis on opportunities for enhanced technology facilitated social participation, and potential policy responses to advances these changes. IoT as a set of technological solutions can be diversified to fulfill a number of strategic objectives in addressing pandemic related economic and social conditions. These impacts further demonstrate that access to information technologies and resources (used here in the broadest sense of enabling actions to occur) is not only universally important, but can be enhanced by policy initiatives, and rapidly so, when the need is perceived.