Public engagement with UK government data science: Propositions from a literature review of public engagement on new technologies

Rempel, Emily; Barnett, Julie; Durrant, Hannah

doi:10.1016/j.giq.2018.08.002

Cited by 14 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(83 reference statements)

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“…Rempela et al [ 30 ], in light of the findings of a literature review of public engagement in new technologies, stress that transparency alone is not enough, and argue that data science initiatives should involve the public in technological development. This participatory approach (reflecting the ‘public participation’ element of public engagement) – is more effective at having a meaningful impact than a one-way communications-based approach (the ‘public communication’ element), say the authors.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trust, security and public interest: Striking the balance

Waind

2020

IJPDS

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This literature review explores previous work in relation to the UK public’s attitudes towards the sharing, linking and use of administrative data for research. It finds the public is broadly supportive of administrative data research if three core conditions are met: public interest, privacy and security, and trust and transparency. None of these three conditions is sufficient in isolation; rather, the literature shows public support is underpinned by a minimum standard of all three. However, it also shows that in certain cases where the standard of one condition is very high – for example, public interest – this could mean that of another – for example, privacy and security – may, if necessary, be lower. An appropriate balance must be struck, and the proposed benefit must outweigh the potential risk. Broad, conditional support for the use of administrative data in research has not only been found consistently, but has also been held over time, with data collection for the 16 studies included spanning more than a decade from 2006-2018. It is therefore, at this time, appropriate to move beyond widescale, general consultation on the use of administrative data for research and build upon existing knowledge by delving into specific areas of research. The purpose of such an approach would not be to consult on whether research using administrative data should be done – as has been the focus of previous literature – but rather to guide how, why and when it is done. Nevertheless, it is important to continue to monitor and respond to any changes to public attitudes and adapt approaches if necessary.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trust, security and public interest: Striking the balance

Waind

2020

IJPDS

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“…Normative engagements include publics as they are due a role in technologies that may impact them. For the purposes of this paper, we broadly define public engagement as the inclusion of non-technical and non-governing publics in the imagination, development and/or regulation of technology (Rempel et al, 2018), in this case, government data science.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The hidden assumptions in public engagement: A case study of engaging on ethics in government data analysis

Rempel¹,

Barnett²,

Durrant³

2019

Research for All

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This study examines the hidden assumptions around running public-engagement exercises in government. We study an example of public engagement on the ethics of combining and analysing data in national government -often called data science ethics. We study hidden assumptions, drawing on hidden curriculum theories in education research, as it allows us to identify conscious and unconscious underlying processes related to conducting public engagement that may impact results. Through participation in the 2016 Public Dialogue for Data Science Ethics in the UK, four key themes were identified that exposed underlying publicengagement norms. First, that organizers had constructed a strong imagined public as neither overly critical nor supportive, which they used to find and engage participants. Second, that official aims of the engagement, such as including publics in developing ethical data regulations, were overshadowed by underlying meta-objectives, such as counteracting public fears. Third, that advisory group members, organizers and publics understood the term 'engagement' in varying ways, from creating interest to public inclusion. And finally, that stakeholder interests, particularly government hopes for a positive report, influenced what was written in the final report. Reflection on these underlying mechanisms, such as the development of meta-objectives that seek to benefit government and technical stakeholders rather than publics, suggests that the practice of public engagement can, in fact, shut down opportunities for meaningful public dialogue.

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“…Legitimacy refers to the innovation being perceived as appropriate and desirable by stakeholders and in line with social norms, standards and regulations. In the innovation literature, scholars have studied how stakeholder interactions can support the creation of legitimacy of technological innovations (e.g., Binz et al, 2016;Geels & Verhees, 2011;Groves, 2011;Rempel et al, 2018;Smink, 2015). As mentioned above, these interactions can be divided into interactions that serve a window-out function and interactions that serve a window-in function.…”

Section: Stakeholder Interactions Contributing To Legitimacy and Socimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The former includes interactions such as framing the innovation in line with norms and values that positively influence collective sense-making (Geels & Verhees, 2011;Petkova et al, 2013;Tosun & Schaub, 2017;Smink, 2015) and lobbying and advocacy work to align standards and regulations with the innovation (e.g., Binz et al, 2016;Tosun & Schaub, 2017). Furthermore, public engagement to build and/or restore trust in technological innovations and their governance can be regarded as window-out interactions that aim for legitimacy as well (e.g., Groves, 2011;Kyllönen, 2012;Rempel et al, 2018). Another way to increase legitimacy is to align the innovation with norms and beliefs, that is, by creating socially robust innovations through public and stakeholder engagement (Groves, 2011;Rempel et al, 2018;Von Schomberg, 2014).…”

Section: Stakeholder Interactions Contributing To Legitimacy and Socimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, public engagement to build and/or restore trust in technological innovations and their governance can be regarded as window-out interactions that aim for legitimacy as well (e.g., Groves, 2011;Kyllönen, 2012;Rempel et al, 2018). Another way to increase legitimacy is to align the innovation with norms and beliefs, that is, by creating socially robust innovations through public and stakeholder engagement (Groves, 2011;Rempel et al, 2018;Von Schomberg, 2014). This type of engagement serves as a window-in function.…”

Section: Stakeholder Interactions Contributing To Legitimacy and Socimentioning

confidence: 99%

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Connect and affect

Jansma

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Present-day societies are facing grand societal challenges, such as dealing with climate change, depletion of natural resources, ageing populations, and more recently, the outbreak of a pandemic disease. These challenges transcend national borders and threaten people, communities, and the planet as a whole (George et al., 2016). Often, scientists and policymakers have pinned their hopes on technological innovations as (part of) the solution for addressing those challenges (e.g., Groen & Walsh, 2013; European Commission, 2011; Van den Hoven, 2014). However, the development and implementation of such solutions are not always successful. There are various aspects that may hinder success of technological innovations, because many different stakeholders need to be mobilised, who all have their own interests and stakes that affect their perceptions of the challenge at hand and the desirability of technological change (

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Public engagement with UK government data science: Propositions from a literature review of public engagement on new technologies

Cited by 14 publications

References 56 publications

Trust, security and public interest: Striking the balance

Trust, security and public interest: Striking the balance

The hidden assumptions in public engagement: A case study of engaging on ethics in government data analysis

Connect and affect

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