A short summary of the project’s aims:

This project examines how the increasing use of digital technologies and platforms in government has impacted policymaking and political communication. It focuses on three issues: 1) How have digital platforms, such as mobile apps and social media accounts, offered a more effective way for various user groups to communicate with policymakers, thus reshaping the state-market-society nexus? 2) How have innovations in digital technologies helped policymakers tackle critical information challenges and improve evidence-based decision-making? 3) Given that operating these new technologies and platforms requires specialized technical expertise, has the technological revolution, including the introduction of artificial intelligence, given rise to a new group of techno elites in private or public sectors? If so, how have they influenced policy continuity and changes? This project employs a combination of text analysis, regression discontinuity design, and machine-learning tools to investigate these issues. The findings of this project will contribute to a better understanding of how advances in digital technologies have profoundly impacted the bureaucracy, policymaking, and governance outcomes.