Actors and Intentions in the Dissemination of Robotic Process Automation in Social Work
(2022) p.129-146- Abstract
- Automated decision-making is prevalent in numerous areas of the public sector. Based on the results of a qualitative, event-based study of how robotic process automation (RPA) is discussed and implemented in social work in Sweden, two questions are answered in this paper: What actors, intentions and network formations appear in the dissemination of RPA in the management of applications for social assistance in Sweden? What are the key, sometimes conflicting, intentions from a social work and a general public sector perspective? A spectrum of national, municipal and local actors—including technologies such as e-applications and RPA—are actively involved in the dissemination. A few important intentions are, for example, promoting the use of... (More)
- Automated decision-making is prevalent in numerous areas of the public sector. Based on the results of a qualitative, event-based study of how robotic process automation (RPA) is discussed and implemented in social work in Sweden, two questions are answered in this paper: What actors, intentions and network formations appear in the dissemination of RPA in the management of applications for social assistance in Sweden? What are the key, sometimes conflicting, intentions from a social work and a general public sector perspective? A spectrum of national, municipal and local actors—including technologies such as e-applications and RPA—are actively involved in the dissemination. A few important intentions are, for example, promoting the use of RPA, saving time and resources and answering the issue of ‘why’ RPA should be implemented. From a social work perspective, a key consideration and conflict relates to the core of social work, especially regarding the intention of helping people to become self-supporting. The more general considerations are related to intentions about implementing RPA to improve efficiency and effectiveness, as well as caseworkers’ discretion in view of laws regulating automated decision-making. Future research should focus on the actual effects of RPA on efficiency and effectiveness and caseworkers’ discretion in view of new laws and longer experiences with RPA.
(Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/e077e2a3-71b7-421e-b35d-997fe73d5329
- author
- Ranerup, Agneta and Svensson, Lupita LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2022-03-15
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- host publication
- Service Automation in the Public Sector. Progress in IS. Springer, Cham.
- editor
- Juell-Skielse, G. ; Lindgren, I. and Åkesson, M.
- pages
- 129 - 146
- publisher
- Springer
- ISBN
- 978-3-030-92643-4
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-3-030-92644-1_7
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e077e2a3-71b7-421e-b35d-997fe73d5329
- date added to LUP
- 2022-04-08 12:00:39
- date last changed
- 2023-02-06 11:35:56
@inbook{e077e2a3-71b7-421e-b35d-997fe73d5329, abstract = {{Automated decision-making is prevalent in numerous areas of the public sector. Based on the results of a qualitative, event-based study of how robotic process automation (RPA) is discussed and implemented in social work in Sweden, two questions are answered in this paper: What actors, intentions and network formations appear in the dissemination of RPA in the management of applications for social assistance in Sweden? What are the key, sometimes conflicting, intentions from a social work and a general public sector perspective? A spectrum of national, municipal and local actors—including technologies such as e-applications and RPA—are actively involved in the dissemination. A few important intentions are, for example, promoting the use of RPA, saving time and resources and answering the issue of ‘why’ RPA should be implemented. From a social work perspective, a key consideration and conflict relates to the core of social work, especially regarding the intention of helping people to become self-supporting. The more general considerations are related to intentions about implementing RPA to improve efficiency and effectiveness, as well as caseworkers’ discretion in view of laws regulating automated decision-making. Future research should focus on the actual effects of RPA on efficiency and effectiveness and caseworkers’ discretion in view of new laws and longer experiences with RPA.<br/>}}, author = {{Ranerup, Agneta and Svensson, Lupita}}, booktitle = {{Service Automation in the Public Sector. Progress in IS. Springer, Cham.}}, editor = {{Juell-Skielse, G. and Lindgren, I. and Åkesson, M.}}, isbn = {{978-3-030-92643-4}}, language = {{eng}}, month = {{03}}, pages = {{129--146}}, publisher = {{Springer}}, title = {{Actors and Intentions in the Dissemination of Robotic Process Automation in Social Work}}, url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92644-1_7}}, doi = {{10.1007/978-3-030-92644-1_7}}, year = {{2022}}, }