Governments are being transformed under the impact of the digital revolution, although the speed of change is behind that of the commercial sector. Policy-makers in all domains are facing increasing pressures to interact with citizens more efficiently, and make better decisions in the light of data flooding in all forms, sophisticated computing technologies, and analytics methods. The hierarchical structures of governments are also being challenged as these technologies equip individuals and informal networks with the necessary tools to better participate in public decision making processes, and have a societal impact at a much faster pace than ever before. The concepts and tools from artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), and now blockchain technologies are also likely to automate many services in the public sector, greatly increasing its efficiency but at the cost of potentially millions of jobs. ‘Smartification’ of people, devices, institutions, cities, and governments also brings constant, ubiquitous surveillance which, together with inference and recognition technologies, creates the potential to regulate human behaviour and may even threaten democracy.
The third of the Data for Policy conference series highlights ‘Government by Algorithm?’ as its main theme, while also welcoming contributions from the broader Data Science and Policy discussions.
Important Dates:
Abstract submission deadline: Monday, 8 May 2017
Notification of acceptance: Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Presenters’ registration deadline: Tuesday, 1 August 2017
Discussion Paper submission deadline: Friday, 18 August 2017
Public registration deadline: Friday, 25 August 2017
Conference: Wednesday-Thursday, 6-7 September 2017
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