Digital Vulnerabilities in Automated Welfare: Infrastructures, Citizens’ Experiences and Public Values

This interdisciplinary research project explores the digital vulnerabilities inherent in the algorithmic automation of welfare services across education, healthcare, social services, and media sectors, with a particular focus on Sweden.

Despite promises of efficiency and improved decision-making, the reliance on algorithmic systems introduces new risks, including cyber threats and biases that undermine citizen trust.

This research seeks to comprehensively understand and address these challenges through comparative empirical analysis and theoretical development.

Through a mixed methods approach combining policy analyses with the help of computational methods, citizens data journeys, a survey and in-depth interviews, the project aims to establish baselines for digital vulnerabilities across welfare domains, contribute to theoretical frameworks for understanding the digital welfare state, and provide guidelines for policymakers to mitigate risks and uphold public values.

By addressing key research questions regarding the nature, implications, and causes of digital vulnerabilities, this project aims to shed light on the broader societal impact of algorithmic governance in the welfare state and advance scholarly and public understanding in this critical area.

The research environment furthermore includes an ambitious outreach programme involving the National Library and short animation films to popularize the research findings.