数字国家治理：21世纪的公共政策与社会治理
课程教师
Minna van Gerven
教师简介
Minna van Gerven is Professor of Social Policy and the Head of Social and public policy discipline at the University of Helsinki, Finland. She is also a MOHRSS Foreign expert at Fudan University. She specializes in social and public policy transformations, digitalization of public administration and comparative welfare state research. Her work has been widely published in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of European Social Policy, Social Policy & Administration and Policy & Politics. She has contributed to edited volumes (as author and editor) with prestigious publishing houses, such as Edward Elgar, Routledge and de Gruyter. Her research recently focuses on the role of technology in welfare systems, with particular interest in how automation, AI and digital tools shape public service delivery. She has led several international research projects, including the Strategic Research Council (of Finland) funded REPAIR (Breakages and Renewal of algorithmic systems) project which analyses the impact of digitalization and datafication in the public sector.
课程内容
This graduate-level course examines how digital transformation is reshaping public administrations, policymaking and social governance across diverse policy domains. The course introduces key theories and analytical frameworks for understanding digital governance and the effects of automation, artificial intelligence, and data-driven policy-making for policy institutions and policy processes. A central question guiding the course is whether digital governance constitutes a paradigm or presents a continuation and/or an extension of earlier public administration reforms. Students will analyse how digital technologies reconfigure institutional arrangements, policy instruments, and society. Through interactive lectures and case-based discussions, the course bridges theoretical perspectives with practical insights into contemporary governance developments. The course also critically engages with the ethical, political and social implications of digital governance, including issues of algorithmic bias, surveillance, accountability and digital inequality. Assessment includes a mid-term examination and a group-based assignment focused on emerging opportunities and future challenges in national public governance in the digital age.
预期目标
Explain and apply key theories and conceptual approaches to digital governance within public policy and administration
Analyse how digitalisation and data-driven tools shape national policies and policy outcomes
Critically evaluate the ethical, political, and social challenges associated with digital governance, including issues of power, good governance and inequality
Develop and present coherent, evidence-based arguments drawing on existing data and literature.
Communicate effectively and engage on informed debates on the challenges and opportunities of digital governance of public policy
课程安排
Lecture | Topic (2.5 teaching hours) |
1 | Introduction – Digital transformation and public governance: how does digitalisation reshape public governance? |
2 | The who? The state, market and power in the digital age: how does digitalisation change power dynamics? |
3 | Digital public administration and service delivery: how does digitalisation impact public services? |
4 | Data, Algorithms and Machine-based policy-making: how does datafication and automation impact public governance? |
5 | Society, participation and digital citizenship: how does digitalisation deepen democracy (or does it hollow it out?) |
6 | Inequality, justice and the digital divide: how does digitalisation impact the vulnerable groups? |
7 | Regulation, law and ethics in Digital Governance: how the global (normative) frameworks respond to the digitalisation |
8 | Comparative and global perspectives on digital governance: what are global varieties of digital governance models? |
9 | Student (group) presentations: National/regional benchmarks on digital governance |
10 | Conclusion: Course synthesis, key lessons, and reflections on future directions in digital public governance. |
Student Assessment
The course evaluation is based on two components:
Mid-term individual Assignment (50%)
Students will work individually on a short exploration of the status-quo of (their) country’s digital governance and exploring the main insights in a short paper (max 3 pages). This paper will also provide the content for the group presentation at the end of the course.Final group Examination (50%)
based on the individual assignment, the groups prepare a short presentation of the national/regional benchmarks of the digital governance in the selected countries.
