Prospectus

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Digital Government

Course
2019-2020

Course description

Digital technologies fundamentally transform the way governments work and – as a result – the relations between citizens and governments. ICTs have opened up an abundance of opportunities to redesign public policymaking and the interactions with citizens. The introduction and use of these technologies, however, go beyond mere instrumental changes: they are part of complex societal processes and raise fundamental legal issues, also pertaining to the rule of law. A growing use of ICTs, for instance, leads to new vulnerabilities (e.g. identity fraud, personal data abuse, information security issues) that can harm citizens. If these vulnerabilities are not adequately addressed, they can negatively impact legal protection instruments in the hands of the citizens. The use of digital technologies can shift the balance of power between government and citizens, for instance in the case technological surveillance, which raises questions of legitimacy, accountability and transparency. This course addresses and critically assesses in light of the rule of law and emerging EU law relevant socio-technological developments related to the use of digital technologies. It will show how electronic government is transforming into the information government, which issues and concerns are raised by these changes, and how they pertain to the law. The course will study in detail particular developments, such as smart cities and automated decision making, that have an impact on citizen-government relations.

Course Requirement

Master Degree

Timetable

The timetable of this course will be available for students in Blackboard

Blackboard

More information on this course is offered in Blackboard

Examination Method

  • Exam (60%)

  • Group assignment: preparatory paper and moot court (40%)

Contact information

Programme Coordinator
Ms Patricia Garcia Fernandez
Telephone number: 0031- 71 527 4228
E-mail: lawanddigitaltechnologies@law.leidenuniv.nl

Disclaimer:
Currently these pages are being updated to reflect the courses for 2019 - 2020. Until these pages are fixed as per 1 September 2019 no rights can be claimed from the information which is currently contained within