Studying social policy in the digital age

摘要: Technological change is hardly a novel phenomenon: humankind has always been exploring new ways to improve human capabilities with technological resources and machines. The modernization of European welfare states centres around contemporary technological advances. The rapid development and popularization of computers and the internet during the late twentieth century have become central catalysts for the third industrial revolution and far-reaching digitalization in the twenty-first century (eg, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things), in combination with big data and machine-based intelligence, creates opportunities and challenges for welfare states. It also creates a rich foundation for social policy research. In the twenty-first-century digital race, governments are keen to replace old methods of welfare provision with automation and datafication, with the aim of developing effective …