The Algorithmic Society: Technology, Power, and Knowledge

by Marc Schuilenburg (editor), Rik Peeters (Editor)

We live in an algorithmic society. Algorithms have become the main mediator through which power is enacted in our society. This book brings together three academic fields – Public Administration, Criminal Justice and Urban Governance – into a single conceptual framework, and offers a broad cultural-political analysis, addressing critical and ethical issues of algorithms.

Governments are increasingly turning towards algorithms to predict criminality, deliver public services, allocate resources, and calculate recidivism rates. Mind-boggling amounts of data regarding our daily actions are analysed to make decisions that manage, control, and nudge our behaviour in everyday life. The contributions in this book offer a broad analysis of the mechanisms and social implications of algorithmic governance. Reporting from the cutting edge of scientific research, the result is illuminating and useful for understanding the relations between algorithms and power.Topics covered



Algorithmic governmentality

Transparency and accountability

Fairness in criminal justice and predictive policing

Principles of good digital administration

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the smart city This book is essential reading for students and scholars of Sociology, Criminology, Public Administration, Political Sciences, and Cultural Theory interested in the integration of algorithms into the governance of society.

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 29, 2020

About the author

Marc Schuilenburg is the author of three books, including 'Hysteria: Crime, Media, and Politics' and 'The Securitization of Society', which was awarded the triennial Willem Nagel Prize. In his latest book 'Hysteria' (2021), he examines what hysteria is and why it is fuelled by a culture that not only abuses, but also encourages and rewards it. During his writing, he listens to John Coltrane, Radiohead, Actress, Scratch Lee Perry, Autechre, Pharoah Sanders, and Morrissey. He lives in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.