Abstract

In a world where automation is thought to increase productivity and efficiency with less effort and at lower costs, what happens to democratic institutions when this logic is deployed to support decisions in the welfare sector? This network investigates the extensive implementation of automated decision-making in the welfare sector in Sweden to meet contemporary challenges including increasing costs and decreasing resources.

Data-based infrastructures for public administration are shaping the welfare provision and state-citizen relations highlighting questions of ethics and accountability, human agency in relation to complex socio-technical systems as well as the enhancement of long-standing biases and inequalities. Recently, a number of research projects have started to investigate this process from different perspectives in Sweden. The ADM network will gather central researchers and practitioners of the field to exchange knowledge and establish a platform to discuss the implications of automated decision-making. Inviting international keynote speakers to the meetings, the network opens up for international perspectives and exchanges. The network gathers during three workshops over a period of two years.