“How Democracies Know”
Dr. Alena Thiel
How do we take good decisions in moments of uncertainty? Drawing on an ethnographic and STS-informed method set, the habilitation project theorises knowledge production at the intersection of digital innovation and public administration in Ghana. Specifically, it investigates the significant re-ordering of inter-agency “data journeys” in the pursuit of improving population registers’ timeliness and coverage. Empirical cases span the Ghanaian national identification system, information management systems in health and education, as well as the datafication of emergency interventions. The project traces the origins of Ghanaian officials’ commitments to interoperability and harmonization, and explores their effects on emerging data practices.
Duration
Funding
Mentoring
Prof. Dr Olaf Zenker