Are you an interested student?
Are you a student interested in the project? There are several opportunities for you to delve into this topic. Read more about current elective courses, master's thesis options and other opportunities on our student-focused website.
About the program
The program aims to systematically develop knowledge over time in an under-researched area. Achieving such knowledge and competency development is only possible through the establishment of a strong and independent research environment that operates on the basis of academic freedom.
There is a need for foundational theory and concept development, critical analysis of current law, as well as applied legal research. Achieving this requires both the development of academic communities, and systematic collaboration between academia and Nav (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration), in particular the professional teams within Nav that are responsible for digitizing its operations.
The agreement will facilitate a long-term approach. In order to be able to build up the academic field in a planned manner, the initial phase of the agreement will focus on students, research assistants, PhD candidates and postdocs. The aim is to recruit individuals who can eventually fill permanent positions within the field. During this period, studies and research must be integrated, including through master's theses and student projects within the elective course 'Legislation Lab' (Lovlab).
The project will create meeting places between employees and students from the faculty and Nav. It is particularly important that people with legal knowledge and skills are exposed to current legal issues triggered by new technology, and are provided with a fundamental understanding of the intersection of technology and public administration in Nav. The development of the digital welfare state requirespublic administration to renew and improve existing practices. In some areas, it may necessitate innovation. This project will therefore contribute to experimental research and education, aiming to test new methods of public administration and new forms of legal regulation. In this way, it can create a foundation for legal innovation - exploring new ways of using law as a tool to ensure efficiency, rule of law, and digital citizenship.
This is the background for the initiative's three main pillars:
- A more relevant study program
- Research on the digital welfare state
- A broad academic arena for collaboration, knowledge development, innovation and dissemination
1. A more relevant study program
There is a significant need to educate law graduates with a high level of expertise in legislative theory, public administrative law and social security law, who also understand the challenges and opportunities presented by the use of new technology in public welfare administration. Close collaboration between the Faculty of Law and Nav concerning study programs can ensure that courses educate lawyers with relevant expertise. Additionally, master's theses and reports from 'Lovlab' can provide independent research contributions to the field. A strong study program in the area of digital welfare state is also an important channel for recruiting future researchers.
2. Research on the digital welfare state
In order to systematically develop the relevant academic fields, the initial phase of the agreement will focus on students, research assistants, PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows, aiming to recruit individuals who can eventually fill future permanent positions. During this period, it may be relevant to employ professionals from outside the University of Oslo with specialist expertise in part time positions or as guest researchers. The collaboration will help ensure that research evolves in response to emerging questions and changes driven by developments in the legal framework, technological opportunities, and public administration practices.
3. A broad academic arena for collaboration, knowledge development, innovation and dissemination.
The project aims to establish a foundation for close and systematic collaboration between the Faculty of Law and Nav, as well as promoting engagement and communication with other actors. This includes both academia and public administration. The experience-based knowledge of employees and citizens who interact with Nav represents a valuable resource for knowledge development within Nav.
Goals
Norwegian public management is changing. While digital elements in case management are not new, today's public administration has the possibility to automate, predict, identify, investigate, monitor, uncover, target, and sanction in new ways, and to a far greater extent than ever before. New statutory authority has been provided for fully automated case processing, and experiments are being conducted with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and innovative uses of big data. The analysis of the welfare state and public administration must evolve in parallel with technological and political developments. Within traditional legal disciplines such as administrative law, social security law and discrimination law, legal rules and concepts must be reassessed and new ones developed. Additionally, Norwegian administration is influenced by the rapid development of international legal sources and guidelines related to various forms of digitization.
Through research, teaching, and dissemination, the Digital Welfare State project aims to contribute to the development of legal analysis for the welfare state of the future.
Background and funding
The Digital Welfare State is one of four sub-projects that are part of a larger strategic cooperation agreement between Nav and the Faculty of Law.
News
DigiVel has a blog where we think innovatively, collaboratively, and openly about the welfare state in the digital age. Please note that the blog is available only in Norwegian.
Other relevant projects
- Plain language in legal research and teaching
- Vulnerability in the Robot Society (VIROS)
- Critical analysis of the social security scandal
- Big Data in the health service (BigMed)
- Welfare across borders: Solidarity, equal treatment and free movement (LEVVEL)
- Societal security and digital identities (SODI)
