Fourth Industrial Revolution and algorithms: New challenges for policy design

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-8-2022

Department

Department of Social Sciences

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution has produced a wide array of technologies, largely based on algorithms, that have a profound influence on society, including public policies and the processes we employ to create them. Algorithms produce decisions that are often removed from human control, raising important questions about the effects and implications of algorithmic policy making. Yet, little attention has been paid to such questions in the policy design scholarship. In this chapter we identify several key themes and research topics that merit more systematic research around algorithmic policy making. In particular, we offer examples of how algorithms are used in policy tools, such as nudging and co-design, as well as the potential impacts of algorithms on policy design processes, including policy labs, collaborative processes and learning. Additionally, we discuss how these algorithm-based policy tools and processes can shape key policy outcomes such as trust and public value, and the implications for policy design scholarship.

Publication Title

Research Handbook of Policy Design

ISBN

9781839106606,9781839106590

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