ABSTRACT
Through a series of studies, the overarching aim of this book is to investigate if and how the digitalization/digital transformation process affects various welfare services provided by the public sector, and the ensuing implications thereof. Ultimately, this book seeks to understand if it is conceivable for digital advancement to result in the creation of private/non-governmental alternatives to welfare services, possibly in a manner that transcends national boundaries. This study also investigates the possible ramifications of technological development for the public sector and the Western welfare society at large.
This book takes its point of departure from the 2016 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report that targets specific public service areas in which government needs to adopt new strategies not to fall behind. Specifically, this report emphasizes the focus on digitalization of health care/social care, education, and protection services, including the use of assistive technologies referred to as "digital welfare." Hence, this book explores the factors potentially leading to whether state actors could be overrun by other non-governmental actors, disrupting the current status quo of welfare services.
The book seeks to provide an innovative, enriching, and controversial take on society at large and how various aspects of the public sector can be, and are, affected by the ongoing digitalization process in a way that is not covered by extant literature on the market. This book takes its point of departure in Sweden given the fact that Sweden is one of the most digitalized countries in Europe, according to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), making it a pertinent research case. However, as digitalization transcends national borders, large parts of the subject matter take on an international angle. This includes cases from several other countries around Europe as well as the United States.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|128 pages
Health and social care
chapter 3|25 pages
Welfare services in an era of digital disruption
chapter 4|25 pages
Centralization vs. decentralization on the blockchain in a health information exchange context
chapter 6|20 pages
Personalized predictive health care
part II|27 pages
Education
chapter 9|15 pages
Educational technology (EdTech)
chapter 10|10 pages
Education at the intersection
part III|64 pages
Citizen protection
chapter 12|16 pages
Societal security
chapter 13|19 pages
Digital identity – beyond verification
part IV|112 pages
Future of the welfare state