Conference Agenda

The rapid integration of AI and algorithms into public sector operations presents profound societal challenges beyond the technological sphere. These challenges are deeply intertwined with the evolving framing and protection of fundamental rights (FR), regulatory power dynamics, and the diverse actors shaping policies around these systems. Drawing on Bacchi’s (2009) framework on problem representation, this article explores the historical evolution of AI regulation in the EU, focusing on how the emergence of AI was framed as a problem in relation to FR in order to understand how FR were identified, interpreted, and prioritized.

By critically analyzing these regulatory developments, the article examines the reflexive nature of FR in AI, their interplay with product safety principles, and the actors driving this evolution. The central aim is to trace how EU discourse on AI governance evolved, identifying when AI came to be seen as requiring regulation, and which FR were foregrounded. Accordingly, this article asks: How were fundamental rights problematized under the AI Act and how did this problematization come about during the regulatory process leading up to the AI Act?

Methodologically, a comprehensive, critical discourse analysis of policy documents will be conducted. The EU AI Act serves as a starting point, emphasizing how its FR framing reflects a culmination of earlier regulatory debates and instruments. Using Bacchi’s approach, this paper deepens the understanding of how FR were shaped within problem perceptions and the need for regulation, while critically reflecting on how certain FR – such as privacy or transparency – have been elevated in regulatory discussions, whereas others may have been marginalized.

E-government services were launched with high hopes, including that they would improve citizens’ trust in government (Parent et al 2005; Welch, Hinnant & Moon, 2005). Evidence about macro relationships between e-government use and citizens’ trust is mixed but broadly positive (McNeal, Hale and Dotterweich, 2008; Morgeson III, VanAmburg, & Mithas, 2011; Pérez-Morote et al., 2020). However, much less is known about effect of citizens’ experiences of using online services on their trust. In particular, competence of administration potentially influences citizens’ trust and perceptions of the trustworthiness of online systems and, in turn, these beliefs feed into attitudes about cooperation, use of e-govt and legitimacy (Kirchler, Hoelzl & Wahl 2008; McNeal, Hale & Dotterweich, 2008; Van Ryzin, 2007).

We estimate the effect of e-government service competence on citizens’ perceptions of the trustworthiness of the administration and trust in the interaction. We use a realistic online income tax administrative task and experimentally vary competence through introducing errors in the process. Trust is particularly important for tax administration because cooperation is necessary for tax authorities to work, as deterrence is insufficient (Kirchler, Hoelzl & Wahl, 2008 Morgeson III, VanAmburg, Mithas, 2011). We experimentally manipulate different forms of error to compare citizens’ experience of competence with those experiencing administrative interactions containing errors. We estimate effects on multi-item measures of participants’ trust and their perceptions of trustworthiness of administration, using measures similar to those adopted in related contexts (Grimmelikhuijsen and Meijer 2014). We hypothesise that incompetence will negatively affect both trust and perceived trustworthiness. The online experiment with a UK sample (n=1600) will be pre-registered and conducted in late Spring 2025. The findings will improve understanding of the relationship between administrative competence and citizens’ trust in online government.

Kirchler, E., Hoelzl, E., & Wahl, I. (2008). Enforced versus voluntary tax compliance: The “slippery slope” framework. Journal of Economic psychology, 29(2), 210-225.

Grimmelikhuijsen, S. G., & Meijer, A. J. (2014). Effects of transparency on the perceived trustworthiness of a government organization: Evidence from an online experiment. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 24(1), 137-157.

McNeal, R., Hale, K., & Dotterweich, L. (2008). Citizen–government interaction and the Internet: Expectations and accomplishments in contact, quality, and trust. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 5(2), 213-229.

Morgeson III, F. V., VanAmburg, D., & Mithas, S. (2011). Misplaced trust? Exploring the structure of the e-government-citizen trust relationship. Journal of public administration research and theory, 21(2), 257-283.

Parent, M., Vandebeek, C. A., & Gemino, A. C. (2005). Building citizen trust through e-government. Government Information Quarterly, 22(4), 720-736.

Pérez-Morote, R., Pontones-Rosa, C., & Núñez-Chicharro, M. (2020). The effects of e-government evaluation, trust and the digital divide in the levels of e-government use in European countries. Technological forecasting and social change, 154, 119973.

Welch, E. W., C. C. Hinnant, and M. J. Moon. 2005. “Linking Citizen Satisfaction with E-Government and Trust in Government.” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 15 (3): 371–391.

This study examines factors influencing citizen and civil servant support for digital public ser-vices in Switzerland. Using an extended UTAUT framework, the analysis identifies perfor-mance expectancy, effort expectancy, digital competencies, organizational transformation, and trust as core predictors. Survey data from 1,000 respondents across three sectors (gen-eral population, core public administration, and the broader public sector) reveal that digital competencies and perceived service efficiency are the most consistent drivers. Trust plays a minor role, while collaboration-based organizational change yields mixed effects across con-texts. Income and age further shape attitudes toward e-services. The findings underscore the need for tailored digital strategies: while civil servants adopt out of institutional mandate, citizens decide voluntarily, based on usability, perceived benefits, and satisfaction with (digi-tal) local governance.

E-government has yet to improve the quality of public services and create public value in South Africa. Access to e-government services should improve the quality of public service. However, the Gauteng Department of Education’s online school application system has not yielded the desired outcomes for parents. Using Karunasena and Deng’s (2009) conceptual framework for evaluating public value, which includes dimensions such as the delivery of public services, achievement of desirable outcomes, development of trust, and effectiveness of the public organisation. The study's primary objective is to use the conceptual framework to evaluate whether the online school application system created public value. Additionally, the study aims to highlight the importance of social media data in measuring public value. This study will utilise data from social media, specifically from social networking sites and media-sharing services that support visual and textual content. A convenience sample of posts, replies, and comments about public perception and experiences of the online school application system will be analysed to achieve the study's objectives. Using the dimensions of the conceptual framework as themes, empirical data collected from social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram were subjected to Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step thematic analysis. This study contributes significantly to the expanding body of knowledge of public value and the use of social media data in public administration, providing valuable insights for public officials responsible for ensuring public value.