Sarah Giest
Biographic Data
| ID | 1487800 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sarah Giest |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sarah |
| FAMILY NAME | Giest |
| SIGNATURE | GIEST S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Leiden University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8201-6943 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 31 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 242 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 7 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Turning ecology into economy
Biodiversity is emerging as a material issue for institutional investors, driven by a growing concern for nature-related risks. This presents a challenge to the financial sector as institutional investors require metrics and tools to develop their investment strategies. Yet, biodiversity is not easily captured in standardized metrics. Therefore, new actors have emerged as knowledge providers. A question that remains unexamined is: which actors pr…
Public value misalignment and adoption of algorithmic tools
The public value perspective is widely applied in literature on algorithmic decision making due to potential for far-reaching consequences. However, research on how management inputs produce public value is limited. We theorize that stress points affect decision pathways between operational capacity, external support and public value in Moore’s classic schema, thus altering the strategic considerations of managers. Using the case of the United St…
Complexity, understandability, and compatibility
The intersection of digital and social infrastructures in (a)spatial policymaking
This research note explores how policymaking can manage the spill-over effects of digital and social infrastructures to support social cohesion, particularly in "left-behind places" (LBPs). While digitalization is often seen as a tool to reduce regional disparities, its implementation frequently neglects the critical role of social infrastructure, risking the reinforcement of existing inequalities. By synthesizing insights from urban development,…
Peak policy lab or chasing windmills? The overlooked issue of misaligned policy design
More than a digital system
The paper highlights the effects of AI implementation on public sector innovation. This is explored by asking how AI-driven technologies in public decision-making in different organizational contexts impacts innovation in the role definition of bureaucrats. We focus on organizational as well as agency- and individual-level factors in two cases: The Dutch Childcare Allowance case and the US Integrated Data Automated System. We observe administrati…
How young adults explain their intention to participate in online direct citizen participation
Facilitating direct citizen participation through online channels is considered as an opportunity for including harder to reach groups in participation. Because young adults (18‐25) are heavy internet users, this group is expected to be easier to include online. Evidence shows, however, that also in online direct participation young adults remain underrepresented. To better understand this discrepancy from the perspective of participants, this re…
Assessing inclusivity in online platforms through usability evaluation with Google Analytics
As online platforms are swiftly becoming a dominant interface of government–citizen interactions, it is crucial that these platforms are inclusive. This article considers the potential of using digital trace data for assessing inclusivity in online platforms. Given that Google Analytics (GA) is a popular tool for collecting and analyzing digital trace data, this article asks to what extent GA is useful in usability evaluation for assessing inclus…
Administrative burden in digital public service delivery
In their efforts to digitize public service delivery, countries increasingly use algorithms based on mathematical models, data and/or a combination of different administrative datasets to issue decisions, but recent studies point towards challenges around citizens' understanding, accessing, and filing objections to such automated decisions. This paper focuses on the social infrastructure supporting citizens that struggle with accessing such servi…
A Novel Data-driven Approach to Examine Children’s Movements and Social Behaviour in Schoolyard Environments
(1) Many children in schoolyards are excluded from social interactions with peers on a daily basis. For these excluded children, schoolyard environments often contain features that hinder, rather than facilitate, their participation. These features may include lack of appropriate play equipment, overcrowded areas, or insufficient supervision. These can generate negative situations, especially for children with special needs-such as attention defi…
The unsung heroes of Information Polity
First paragraph: Dear readers of Information Polity. We hope you are well and keeping safe as the second wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic sweeps the world. We have all made significant sacrifices and adjustments to our professional and personal lives over the last year, and hopefully as 2021 progresses we will be able to get back to some sort of normality
Do nudgers need budging? A comparative analysis of European smart meter implementation
Nudging is seen to complement or replace existing policy tools by altering people's choice architectures towards behaviors that align with government aims, but has fallen short in meeting those targets. Crucially, governments do not nudge citizens directly, but need private agents to nudge their consumers. Based on this notion, the paper takes on an institutional approach towards nudging. Rather than looking at the relationship between nudger and…
Making energy personal
Governments are increasingly facilitating the roll-out of so-called “smart meters”, a technology for measuring energy consumption that are able to transmit and receive data using a form of electronic communication. However, implementation has been slow or even stalled. To identify some of the causes for this, the policy coordination perspective serves as a lens to unravel the different elements involved in smart meter implementation. The research…
Behavioural Insights Teams (BITs) and Policy Change
Behavioural Insights Teams (BITs) have gained prominence in government as policy advisors and are increasingly linked to the way policy instruments are designed. Despite the rise of BITs as unique knowledge brokers mediating the use of behavioral insights for policymaking, they remain underexplored in the growing literature on policy advice and advisory systems. The article emphasizes that the visible impact that BITs have on the content of polic…
Inclusivity in Online Platforms
Governments are increasingly implementing smart and digital approaches to promoting citizen participation. However, whether online participation platforms are tools that improve inclusivity in citizen participation remains underexplored. To address this gap, this article focuses on the role of recruitment messages and their effect on participation in an online participation platform by gender and age. A field experiment with a neighborhood census…
For good measure’
Policy and data scientists have paid ample attention to the amount of data being collected and the challenge for policymakers to use and utilize it. However, far less attention has been paid towards the quality and coverage of this data specifically pertaining to minority groups. The paper makes the argument that while there is seemingly more data to draw on for policymakers, the quality of the data in combination with potential known or unknown …
A machine learning approach to open public comments for policymaking
In this paper, the author argues that the conflict between the copious amount of digital data processed by public organisations and the need for policy-relevant insights to aid public participation constitutes a ‘public information paradox’. Machine learning (ML) approaches may offer one solution to this paradox through algorithms that transparently collect and use statistical modelling to provide insights for policymakers. Such an approach is te…
Artificial intelligence, bureaucratic form, and discretion in public service
This article examines the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI), discretion, and bureaucratic form in public organizations. We ask: How is the use of AI both changing and changed by the bureaucratic form of public organizations, and what effect does this have on the use of discretion? The diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has changed administrative behavior in public organizations. Recent advances in AI ha…
The agency of algorithms
With the rise of computer algorithms in administrative decision-making, concerns are voiced about their lack of transparency and discretionary space for human decision-makers. However, calls to ‘keep humans in the loop’ may be moot points if we fail to understand how algorithms impact human decision-making and how algorithmic design impacts the practical possibilities for transparency and human discretion. Through a review of recent academic lite…
Transparency in algorithmic decision-making
This article uses a theoretical and methodological framework derived from the political theorist Quentin Skinner and the conceptual historian Reinhart Koselleck to examine ideational and conceptual tensions and shifts related to the transparency of algorithmic and other automatic governmental decision-making in Finland. Most of the research material comprises national and international official documents and semi-structured expert interviews. In …
Administration by algorithm
Algorithmic decision-making is neither a recent phenomenon nor one necessarily associated with artificial intelligence (AI), though advances in AI are increasingly resulting in what were heretofore human decisions being taken over by, or becoming dependent on, algorithms and technologies like machine learning. Such developments promise many potential benefits, but are not without certain risks. These risks are not always well understood. It is no…
Introduction to special issue algorithmic transparency in government
The editorial sets the stage for the special issue on algorithmic transparency in government. The papers in the issue bring together transparency challenges experienced across different levels of government, including macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. This highlights that transparency issues transcend different levels of government – from European regulation to individual public bureaucrats. With a special focus on these links, the editorial sketc…
Trust Dynamics in Innovation Networks
Knowledge exchange and collaboration in innovation networks is based on trust. Individuals and organizations within the network further play an important role in creating trusting relationships. Using this as a basis, the article explores the dynamics of trust when relationships and positions within the network change. Counter to the expectation that relationships are formalized in this scenario, the article shows that in the Chicago case, trust …
Big Data Applications in Governance and Policy
The editorial sets the scene for this thematic issue on big data applications in governance and policy. It highlights the lack of engagement in the current literature with the application of big data at the cross-section of governance of data and its utilization in the policy process and draws out aspects related to its definition and future research agenda. The contributions highlight several aspects related to big data in different contexts, su…
Designing policies in uncertain contexts
The paper focuses on enterprising agents in policy formulation and design by looking at their capacity of dealing with different levels of uncertainty. In climate policy specifically, different degrees and types of uncertainties pose a challenge to policymakers. Policy entrepreneurs and the combination of their analytical, operational and political competences are a relevant component in reducing ambiguity in policy design and translating broad p…
Artificial intelligence, bureaucratic form, and discretion in public service
This article examines the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI), discretion, and bureaucratic form in public organizations. We ask: How is the use of AI both changing and changed by the bureaucratic form of public organizations, and what effect does this have on the use of discretion? The diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has changed administrative behavior in public organizations. Recent advances in AI ha…
Big data for policymaking
The buzz surrounding big data has taken shape in various theoretical and practical forms when it comes to policymaking. The paper combines current research streams with long-standing discussions on government and technology in public policy and public administration, such as e-government and evidence-based policymaking. The goal is to answer the question whether big data is a fleeting trend or has long-lasting effects on policymaking. Three large…
The agency of algorithms
With the rise of computer algorithms in administrative decision-making, concerns are voiced about their lack of transparency and discretionary space for human decision-makers. However, calls to ‘keep humans in the loop’ may be moot points if we fail to understand how algorithms impact human decision-making and how algorithmic design impacts the practical possibilities for transparency and human discretion. Through a review of recent academic lite…
Inclusivity in Online Platforms
Governments are increasingly implementing smart and digital approaches to promoting citizen participation. However, whether online participation platforms are tools that improve inclusivity in citizen participation remains underexplored. To address this gap, this article focuses on the role of recruitment messages and their effect on participation in an online participation platform by gender and age. A field experiment with a neighborhood census…
Administration by algorithm
Algorithmic decision-making is neither a recent phenomenon nor one necessarily associated with artificial intelligence (AI), though advances in AI are increasingly resulting in what were heretofore human decisions being taken over by, or becoming dependent on, algorithms and technologies like machine learning. Such developments promise many potential benefits, but are not without certain risks. These risks are not always well understood. It is no…
Administrative burden in digital public service delivery
In their efforts to digitize public service delivery, countries increasingly use algorithms based on mathematical models, data and/or a combination of different administrative datasets to issue decisions, but recent studies point towards challenges around citizens' understanding, accessing, and filing objections to such automated decisions. This paper focuses on the social infrastructure supporting citizens that struggle with accessing such servi…
For good measure’
Policy and data scientists have paid ample attention to the amount of data being collected and the challenge for policymakers to use and utilize it. However, far less attention has been paid towards the quality and coverage of this data specifically pertaining to minority groups. The paper makes the argument that while there is seemingly more data to draw on for policymakers, the quality of the data in combination with potential known or unknown …
Introduction to special issue algorithmic transparency in government
The editorial sets the stage for the special issue on algorithmic transparency in government. The papers in the issue bring together transparency challenges experienced across different levels of government, including macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. This highlights that transparency issues transcend different levels of government – from European regulation to individual public bureaucrats. With a special focus on these links, the editorial sketc…
Overcoming the failure of ‘silicon somewheres
Increased pressure to use policy transfer as a tool has led policy-makers to seek it as a solution for innovation efforts. A prominent example is Silicon Valley, whose replication attempts have been widely criticised. Based on ‘Silicon Somewhere’ cases in Asia, Europe and the US, the research suggests that there are different types of learning contributing to the success or failure of policy transfer. These variations in the learning processes un…
Behavioural Insights Teams (BITs) and Policy Change
Behavioural Insights Teams (BITs) have gained prominence in government as policy advisors and are increasingly linked to the way policy instruments are designed. Despite the rise of BITs as unique knowledge brokers mediating the use of behavioral insights for policymaking, they remain underexplored in the growing literature on policy advice and advisory systems. The article emphasizes that the visible impact that BITs have on the content of polic…
Network Capacity‐building in High‐tech Sectors
Countries increasingly bring in facilitators for managing high‐tech networks. Facilitators are broadly defined as experts who take on a central position in the network with the goal of connecting various stakeholder groups. They also receive public funding and pose as a communication link between stakeholders and government. However, the use of facilitators challenges government to identify their benefits. Based on three case studies and intervie…
Understanding the pre-conditions of commons governance
A machine learning approach to open public comments for policymaking
In this paper, the author argues that the conflict between the copious amount of digital data processed by public organisations and the need for policy-relevant insights to aid public participation constitutes a ‘public information paradox’. Machine learning (ML) approaches may offer one solution to this paradox through algorithms that transparently collect and use statistical modelling to provide insights for policymakers. Such an approach is te…
Transparency in algorithmic decision-making
This article uses a theoretical and methodological framework derived from the political theorist Quentin Skinner and the conceptual historian Reinhart Koselleck to examine ideational and conceptual tensions and shifts related to the transparency of algorithmic and other automatic governmental decision-making in Finland. Most of the research material comprises national and international official documents and semi-structured expert interviews. In …
Designing policies in uncertain contexts
The paper focuses on enterprising agents in policy formulation and design by looking at their capacity of dealing with different levels of uncertainty. In climate policy specifically, different degrees and types of uncertainties pose a challenge to policymakers. Policy entrepreneurs and the combination of their analytical, operational and political competences are a relevant component in reducing ambiguity in policy design and translating broad p…
How young adults explain their intention to participate in online direct citizen participation
Facilitating direct citizen participation through online channels is considered as an opportunity for including harder to reach groups in participation. Because young adults (18‐25) are heavy internet users, this group is expected to be easier to include online. Evidence shows, however, that also in online direct participation young adults remain underrepresented. To better understand this discrepancy from the perspective of participants, this re…
Big Data Applications in Governance and Policy
The editorial sets the scene for this thematic issue on big data applications in governance and policy. It highlights the lack of engagement in the current literature with the application of big data at the cross-section of governance of data and its utilization in the policy process and draws out aspects related to its definition and future research agenda. The contributions highlight several aspects related to big data in different contexts, su…
Comparative Analysis of Sweden’s Wind Energy Policy
In search of an appropriate institutional structure for successful environmental policy, many researchers focus on network governance. And while it provides the flexibility and adaptability needed for climate change initiatives, the paper argues that many networks collaborate too loosely to have the capacity to reach strategic goals or mobilize local players. There is often a disconnect between national policy goals and on-the-ground dynamics. In…
The intersection of digital and social infrastructures in (a)spatial policymaking
This research note explores how policymaking can manage the spill-over effects of digital and social infrastructures to support social cohesion, particularly in "left-behind places" (LBPs). While digitalization is often seen as a tool to reduce regional disparities, its implementation frequently neglects the critical role of social infrastructure, risking the reinforcement of existing inequalities. By synthesizing insights from urban development,…
Do nudgers need budging? A comparative analysis of European smart meter implementation
Nudging is seen to complement or replace existing policy tools by altering people's choice architectures towards behaviors that align with government aims, but has fallen short in meeting those targets. Crucially, governments do not nudge citizens directly, but need private agents to nudge their consumers. Based on this notion, the paper takes on an institutional approach towards nudging. Rather than looking at the relationship between nudger and…
Making energy personal
Governments are increasingly facilitating the roll-out of so-called “smart meters”, a technology for measuring energy consumption that are able to transmit and receive data using a form of electronic communication. However, implementation has been slow or even stalled. To identify some of the causes for this, the policy coordination perspective serves as a lens to unravel the different elements involved in smart meter implementation. The research…
Trust Dynamics in Innovation Networks
Knowledge exchange and collaboration in innovation networks is based on trust. Individuals and organizations within the network further play an important role in creating trusting relationships. Using this as a basis, the article explores the dynamics of trust when relationships and positions within the network change. Counter to the expectation that relationships are formalized in this scenario, the article shows that in the Chicago case, trust …
Understanding the pre-conditions of commons governance
Network Capacity‐building in High‐tech Sectors
Countries increasingly bring in facilitators for managing high‐tech networks. Facilitators are broadly defined as experts who take on a central position in the network with the goal of connecting various stakeholder groups. They also receive public funding and pose as a communication link between stakeholders and government. However, the use of facilitators challenges government to identify their benefits. Based on three case studies and intervie…
Policy Cycle
Comparative Analysis of Sweden’s Wind Energy Policy
In search of an appropriate institutional structure for successful environmental policy, many researchers focus on network governance. And while it provides the flexibility and adaptability needed for climate change initiatives, the paper argues that many networks collaborate too loosely to have the capacity to reach strategic goals or mobilize local players. There is often a disconnect between national policy goals and on-the-ground dynamics. In…
Designing policies in uncertain contexts
The paper focuses on enterprising agents in policy formulation and design by looking at their capacity of dealing with different levels of uncertainty. In climate policy specifically, different degrees and types of uncertainties pose a challenge to policymakers. Policy entrepreneurs and the combination of their analytical, operational and political competences are a relevant component in reducing ambiguity in policy design and translating broad p…
Big data for policymaking
The buzz surrounding big data has taken shape in various theoretical and practical forms when it comes to policymaking. The paper combines current research streams with long-standing discussions on government and technology in public policy and public administration, such as e-government and evidence-based policymaking. The goal is to answer the question whether big data is a fleeting trend or has long-lasting effects on policymaking. Three large…
Overcoming the failure of ‘silicon somewheres
Increased pressure to use policy transfer as a tool has led policy-makers to seek it as a solution for innovation efforts. A prominent example is Silicon Valley, whose replication attempts have been widely criticised. Based on ‘Silicon Somewhere’ cases in Asia, Europe and the US, the research suggests that there are different types of learning contributing to the success or failure of policy transfer. These variations in the learning processes un…
Big Data Applications in Governance and Policy
The editorial sets the scene for this thematic issue on big data applications in governance and policy. It highlights the lack of engagement in the current literature with the application of big data at the cross-section of governance of data and its utilization in the policy process and draws out aspects related to its definition and future research agenda. The contributions highlight several aspects related to big data in different contexts, su…
Trust Dynamics in Innovation Networks
Knowledge exchange and collaboration in innovation networks is based on trust. Individuals and organizations within the network further play an important role in creating trusting relationships. Using this as a basis, the article explores the dynamics of trust when relationships and positions within the network change. Counter to the expectation that relationships are formalized in this scenario, the article shows that in the Chicago case, trust …
The unsung heroes of Information Polity
First paragraph: Dear readers of Information Polity. We hope you are well and keeping safe as the second wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic sweeps the world. We have all made significant sacrifices and adjustments to our professional and personal lives over the last year, and hopefully as 2021 progresses we will be able to get back to some sort of normality
Do nudgers need budging? A comparative analysis of European smart meter implementation
Nudging is seen to complement or replace existing policy tools by altering people's choice architectures towards behaviors that align with government aims, but has fallen short in meeting those targets. Crucially, governments do not nudge citizens directly, but need private agents to nudge their consumers. Based on this notion, the paper takes on an institutional approach towards nudging. Rather than looking at the relationship between nudger and…
Making energy personal
Governments are increasingly facilitating the roll-out of so-called “smart meters”, a technology for measuring energy consumption that are able to transmit and receive data using a form of electronic communication. However, implementation has been slow or even stalled. To identify some of the causes for this, the policy coordination perspective serves as a lens to unravel the different elements involved in smart meter implementation. The research…
Behavioural Insights Teams (BITs) and Policy Change
Behavioural Insights Teams (BITs) have gained prominence in government as policy advisors and are increasingly linked to the way policy instruments are designed. Despite the rise of BITs as unique knowledge brokers mediating the use of behavioral insights for policymaking, they remain underexplored in the growing literature on policy advice and advisory systems. The article emphasizes that the visible impact that BITs have on the content of polic…
Inclusivity in Online Platforms
Governments are increasingly implementing smart and digital approaches to promoting citizen participation. However, whether online participation platforms are tools that improve inclusivity in citizen participation remains underexplored. To address this gap, this article focuses on the role of recruitment messages and their effect on participation in an online participation platform by gender and age. A field experiment with a neighborhood census…
For good measure’
Policy and data scientists have paid ample attention to the amount of data being collected and the challenge for policymakers to use and utilize it. However, far less attention has been paid towards the quality and coverage of this data specifically pertaining to minority groups. The paper makes the argument that while there is seemingly more data to draw on for policymakers, the quality of the data in combination with potential known or unknown …
A machine learning approach to open public comments for policymaking
In this paper, the author argues that the conflict between the copious amount of digital data processed by public organisations and the need for policy-relevant insights to aid public participation constitutes a ‘public information paradox’. Machine learning (ML) approaches may offer one solution to this paradox through algorithms that transparently collect and use statistical modelling to provide insights for policymakers. Such an approach is te…
Artificial intelligence, bureaucratic form, and discretion in public service
This article examines the relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI), discretion, and bureaucratic form in public organizations. We ask: How is the use of AI both changing and changed by the bureaucratic form of public organizations, and what effect does this have on the use of discretion? The diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has changed administrative behavior in public organizations. Recent advances in AI ha…
The agency of algorithms
With the rise of computer algorithms in administrative decision-making, concerns are voiced about their lack of transparency and discretionary space for human decision-makers. However, calls to ‘keep humans in the loop’ may be moot points if we fail to understand how algorithms impact human decision-making and how algorithmic design impacts the practical possibilities for transparency and human discretion. Through a review of recent academic lite…
Transparency in algorithmic decision-making
This article uses a theoretical and methodological framework derived from the political theorist Quentin Skinner and the conceptual historian Reinhart Koselleck to examine ideational and conceptual tensions and shifts related to the transparency of algorithmic and other automatic governmental decision-making in Finland. Most of the research material comprises national and international official documents and semi-structured expert interviews. In …
Administration by algorithm
Algorithmic decision-making is neither a recent phenomenon nor one necessarily associated with artificial intelligence (AI), though advances in AI are increasingly resulting in what were heretofore human decisions being taken over by, or becoming dependent on, algorithms and technologies like machine learning. Such developments promise many potential benefits, but are not without certain risks. These risks are not always well understood. It is no…
Introduction to special issue algorithmic transparency in government
The editorial sets the stage for the special issue on algorithmic transparency in government. The papers in the issue bring together transparency challenges experienced across different levels of government, including macro-, meso-, and micro-levels. This highlights that transparency issues transcend different levels of government – from European regulation to individual public bureaucrats. With a special focus on these links, the editorial sketc…
A Novel Data-driven Approach to Examine Children’s Movements and Social Behaviour in Schoolyard Environments
(1) Many children in schoolyards are excluded from social interactions with peers on a daily basis. For these excluded children, schoolyard environments often contain features that hinder, rather than facilitate, their participation. These features may include lack of appropriate play equipment, overcrowded areas, or insufficient supervision. These can generate negative situations, especially for children with special needs-such as attention defi…
Assessing inclusivity in online platforms through usability evaluation with Google Analytics
As online platforms are swiftly becoming a dominant interface of government–citizen interactions, it is crucial that these platforms are inclusive. This article considers the potential of using digital trace data for assessing inclusivity in online platforms. Given that Google Analytics (GA) is a popular tool for collecting and analyzing digital trace data, this article asks to what extent GA is useful in usability evaluation for assessing inclus…
Administrative burden in digital public service delivery
In their efforts to digitize public service delivery, countries increasingly use algorithms based on mathematical models, data and/or a combination of different administrative datasets to issue decisions, but recent studies point towards challenges around citizens' understanding, accessing, and filing objections to such automated decisions. This paper focuses on the social infrastructure supporting citizens that struggle with accessing such servi…
More than a digital system
The paper highlights the effects of AI implementation on public sector innovation. This is explored by asking how AI-driven technologies in public decision-making in different organizational contexts impacts innovation in the role definition of bureaucrats. We focus on organizational as well as agency- and individual-level factors in two cases: The Dutch Childcare Allowance case and the US Integrated Data Automated System. We observe administrati…
Political science (24 works) · Computer Science (21 works) · Business (16 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Government (linguistics (12 works) · Public relations (12 works) · Public Administration (11 works) · E-Government and Public Services (10 works) · Economics (10 works) · Law (10 works)