Lisa Marie Reutter

What do you research?

My work operates at the intersection of media studies, critical data and algorithm studies and public administration. Algorithms, data platforms, and (big) data have gained ever more attention in the public sector in recent years. What do we actually know about the societal impact of technologies in the Nordics? In my work I am interested in how and why the idea of “becoming data driven” is integrated into public administration and how this administrative reform impacts upon the public sector and the welfare state more broadly.

Why is it so important?

The datafication of public administration has the potential to seriously alter citizen–state relations, as it increases the public sector’s ability to surveil, predict, and classify citizen behavior. It presents a paradigm shift for the public sector and consists of two interwoven processes:

1. the use of more, different, or new data in administrative practice
2. the introduction of ever-more complex technologies to do so

Asking questions such as “How are citizens involved in this paradigm shift?” or “Why has the idea of ‘data as a resource’ become so powerful and what does it mean to live a good datafied life?“ my work focuses on the mutual shaping of data, technology, and society. Although datafication is often portrayed as a technical or legal issue, critical data and algorithm studies aim to show the various political and societal dimensions and impacts of technological change.

A project you are proud of?

In the last years, I’ve continuously attempted to bring critical data and algorithm studies to new audiences. This includes teaching resources for high school kids, popular science articles on the influence of datafication on social work, and various talks to practitioners in the public sector. It’s never easy to communicate complex issues in a hype driven environment, but I hope that my efforts have contributed to influence some practitioners and organizations to think about datafication in a slightly different, more precisely reasoned, and better-informed way. A way that will (hopefully) produce better decisions and societal outcomes than would have been achieved without the presence of critical data and algorithm studies.

Updated September 2023

Through her participation in the Mary Centre’s Policy Fellowship, Lisa has among others worked with Grit Munk, Chief IT Policy Advisor in The Danish Society of Engineers (Policy Fellowship 2023-24 – Digitalisation and technology).