Petter Falk, Karlstad University
"Data and/in democracy. Power, governance and value in data-driven public services"
This presentation explores the entanglement of data and democracy, focusing on how data-driven logics are reshaping public services, the political ideals that underpin them, and the role of design.Drawing on ethnographic research and data experiments at the intersection of data practitioners and policymakers, Petter Falk’s research examines the ideological undercurrents of datafication—such as efficiency, transparency, and innovation—in relation to democratic accountability. The presentation invites a critical reflection on the politics embedded in data infrastructures, the normative visions they carry for the future of democratic governance, and how design can both make and break data as a democratic artifact.
Dr. Petter Falk is an adjunct lecturer and researcher at Karlstad University, focusing on critical data studies and the computerization of welfare services. He earned his PhD in Political Science from Karlstad University and he is affiliated with the Service Research Center (CTF) at Karlstad University and the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanities and Society (WASP-HS). His research examines the role of data in digitalized societies, particularly within public welfare services. Before his academic tenure, he led national and international innovation projects as a process manager and service designer at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. He also has experience as a data analyst in the private sector and as a municipal administrator focusing on civic dialogue and democracy coordination.
