How Digitalization Reinforces Social Injustice

Advancing digitalization does not spare the public sector. Julia Dahlvik wants to find out how the technological transformation is affecting access to public services and administrative law for citizens and therefore also the work of ombudsman institutions. She was awarded the prestigious Elise Richter fellowship for her research work.

Public ombudsman offices protect the rights of citizens. As an independent supervisory body, they help anyone who is confronted with problems when dealing with the administration. Julia Dahlvik conducts research at the Research Center Administrative Sciences and deals with these problems and institutions in her habilitation project. She is focusing on two central aspects: the risk of social groups being excluded from public services due to digital inequality and the resulting restricted access to justice. "We want to find out what practices public ombudsman offices use to ensure fair access to justice for all in the context of an increasingly digitalized public sector," says Julia Dahlvik, explaining the project's aim. The project will also take a closer look at citizens' experiences with the administration and ombudsman services.

International Research Perspective on Public Services

To this end, the sociologist is conducting interviews with employees of ombudsman institutions, citizens and other experts in several countries outside Europe. "Using a country comparison, we also want to investigate the influence of country-specific framework conditions on ensuring equal access to justice," explains Julia Dahlvik. Initial results show that digitalization reinforces existing social inequalities due to various factors. When institutions increasingly or exclusively offer their services digitally, they exclude those citizens who do not have access to the internet or who cannot or do not want to participate in digital processes for other reasons. Alternative contact options besides email or online forms, such as personal or telephone advice, therefore remain essential.

Award for Pioneering Administrative Research

Julia Dahlvik received the Elise Richter fellowship from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) for her habilitation project. The funding program supports women in science and research who have distinguished themselves through exceptional scientific achievements and are aiming for a habilitation. With her research, Julia Dahlvik is helping to understand the importance of ombudsman services in the age of digitalization and paving the way for inclusive and empowering administrative processes.

“The Elise Richter fellowship only recognizes particularly pioneering and innovative research by women. I am delighted that Julia Dahlvik is one of these great scientists", says Elisabeth Haslinger-Baumann, Vice Rector for Research and Development.

Good to know!

Julia Dahlvik teaches in the Bachelor’s degree program Public Management and the Master’s degree program Public Management and conducts research at the Research Center Administrative Sciences. For her habilitation project "Digitalized public services and the role of ombudsman institutions regarding access to justice", she was awarded the Elise Richter fellowship, which is reserved exclusively for women.

Degree programs in the Department Administration, Economics, Security, Politics: