The rise of information and communication technology, and more recently the growing attention to the possibilities offered by big data, have already had far-reaching consequences for the functioning of public administration. Think of digital counters, linked databases and fraud detection through pattern recognition. At the same time, big data has great potential for acceptance and innovation of legislation and justice. Little is yet known about how these technological developments affect the effectiveness of and trust in public administration and the rule of law. The assumption by policymakers that the effects are beneficial is certainly not always justified. In addition, research is needed into how we in governance and the rule of law can balance dealing with, and provide a clear legal framework for, developments in digitalisation, big data, genetics, biotechnology, nanotechnology and cognitive sciences. Finally, law enforcement can benefit greatly from new technological opportunities.
Connecting character
This question consists of related issues around governance and rule of law in our current society. New issues and new solutions lead to new undesirable activities by people and organisations, which need to be combated with new laws and regulations. Administrative procedures and legislation often hinder innovative developments. Finally, modern developments, for example in ICT, are very useful to make governance, legislation and enforcement more effective. Scientific challenges in the context of this question are about function, construction and impact of administrative processes, legislation and enforcement in society. The application areas for these issues are diverse: environment, security, innovation, energy and climate, but also mobility, technology, entrepreneurship, organisational forms, and development cooperation. Constructing effective legal frameworks for all these social issues creates opportunities for entrepreneurs, consultants and, for example, NGOs to start applying those solutions to other social challenges and in other countries.
