We are honoured and delighted to have Professor Richard Heeks from Manchester University join us for a seminar on Wednesday 6th of December to discuss his groundbreaking work on data justice. Below are the details for anyone who wants to join us!

Wednesday, 6^th December 2017, 4pm, Rm 0.05, Bute Building

Professor Richard Heeks (University of Manchester)

Title: Conceptualising and Applying Data Justice

 Abstract: Building from the literature on justice, this presentation will discuss different ways in which data justice may be conceptualised.  This includes just impacts of data systems (instrumental data justice), just handling of data (procedural data justice), and deeper ideas around rights-based and structural data justice.  The presentation will then explore the results of current research utilising a combined conceptualisation that draws from Amartya Sen’s ideas on justice as growth in freedoms and capabilities.  This is applied to recent pro-equity digital interventions in urban contexts of the global South, such as community mapping and e-participatory budgeting.  It finds incremental improvements in data justice relating to visibility and engagement of marginalised urban communities; but that structural constraints have so far limited the extent to which data justice is delivered.  The presentation concludes with some ideas on future research and practice priorities for those wishing to promote data justice.

 Bio: Richard Heeks is Chair in Development Informatics at the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, UK; and Director of the Centre for Development Informatics.  He has been consulting and researching on informatics and development for more than 30 years.  His book publications include Implementing and Managing eGovernment (2006), and Information and Communication Technology for Development (2017).  His research interests are data-intensive development, e-resilience and e-sustainability, digital development, and the digital economy in developing countries.