Digital and Democracy: Will digital technologies save or sink democracy?

Masterclass with Paula Forteza, a former member of the French Parliament, in the framework of the Digital, New Technology and Public Policy stream at Sciences Po's School of Public Affairs.

Nowadays, digital technologies play a key role in shaping new forms of democratic participation.

Digital platforms can become a prominent tool in enabling institutions to increase citizens' democratic participation and regain their trust. However, the dominant role of private service providers raises concerns about data privacy, gatekeeper bias could threaten the neutrality of civic exchanges, and deliberation is far from being embedded in our democratic practices. These issues open the way for a debate on the role of civic tech and regulation in order to transform digital tools into a vehicle for democracy.

Paula Forteza, a former member of the French Parliament, drafted reports on digital government, digital rights and digital democracy. She worked on several democratic innovations, engaging closely with the civic tech ecosystem and contributed to translating the GDPR into French law. She will help nuance the impact of civic tech and suggest a way forward on its democratic contents and regulatory aspects.

The masterclass will end with a discussion with the speaker and some practical career advice and will be moderated by students from the Digital, New Technology and Public Policy stream.

This masterclass is organised by the Digital, New Technology and Public policy stream of the School of Public affairs, Sciences Po. The event is reserved for Sciences Po communities (students, teachers, employees). A Sciences Po card will be required to access the building.