Digital Society

Helping policymakers identify and respond to technology’s challenges, enabling society to harness the benefits of the new information economy

Research, commentary, and events

Project
Exploring ways to regulate and build trust in AI
25 Apr 2022

Researchers brought together evidence on the use of labelling initiatives, codes of conduct and other voluntary, self-regulatory mechanisms for the ethical and safe development of artificial intelligence systems.
Project
Using social media data to ‘nowcast’ migration around the globe
16 Dec 2021

Because official statistics can be delayed or fail to correctly capture the full extent of migration, making informed policy decisions can be a challenge. Researchers developed an approach to compute near-real-time migration estimates for Europe and the United States using social media data.
Project
Examining the digital skills gap
15 Dec 2021

Researchers assessed the evidence associated with the digital skills gap. The study analysed the key trends driving the gap at a global level and articulated some practical steps to address this challenge and potentially ‘close’ the gap.
Project
Assessing EHR for infectious disease surveillance, prevention and control
10 Dec 2021

Electronic health records (EHR) data could greatly help infectious disease surveillance, but their use varies across Europe. Researchers mapped EHR use to assess the feasibility of using EHR data for infectious disease surveillance.
Project
5G supply market trends
23 Aug 2021

An in-depth analysis of plausible developments of the 5G equipment and services supply market looking out to 2030 identified four potential trend scenarios and analysed economic, technological, environmental, and societal impacts for each.
Project
Tackling societal challenges and guiding the future of research and innovation in Norway
09 Aug 2021

Researchers identified 20 priority missions and 10 structural measures that could help the Research Council of Norway to develop a strong and resilient research and innovation environment across a range of strategic areas.
Project
Protecting human rights in the digital age
04 Aug 2021

Interventions to foster and strengthen safeguards for human rights in the digital age take place in a rapidly evolving technology, political and socio-cultural landscape. Several overarching principles could inform and guide organisations' capacity-building efforts.
Project
Future scenarios of the Credit Information Market
29 Jul 2021

Researchers identified four plausible scenarios of how the credit information market might develop in five to ten years’ time, as well as five key drivers of change.
Project
Supporting Your DNA, Your Say
08 Jul 2021

RAND Europe is providing support to the Your DNA, Your Say project in terms of design and implementation of the analysis of survey data and reporting results in scientific papers.
Project
How AI can support the European Border and Coast Guard
29 Mar 2021

Three baseline gaps should be addressed to maximise the opportunities provided by artificial intelligence in European border security: knowledge gaps between stakeholder groups; organisational, structural, cultural and expertise gaps; and broader gaps in the evidence base.
Project
The use of public engagement for technological innovation
29 Jan 2021

Because different public engagement techniques may be more or less effective in promoting selected outcomes, researchers found that a diverse range of techniques should be used to engage the public in technological innovation.
Project
Technology and the future of cybercrime
15 Dec 2020

To prepare for and mitigate the impact of emerging technologies on cybercrime, Estonia could consider broad anti-cybercrime capacity building; seek legal, regulatory and organisational agility; and invest in technological expertise, skills and research.
Project
Assessing the impacts of digital government transformation in the EU
26 Jun 2020

A case study on the use of body worn cameras by police forces in the UK offers an example of how governments can potentially take advantage of emerging digital technologies to address systemic challenges.
Commentary
A Machine Learning Approach Could Help Counter Disinformation
25 Jun 2020

Disinformation has become a central feature of the COVID-19 crisis. This type of malign information and high-tech “deepfake” imagery poses a risk to democratic societies worldwide by increasing public mistrust in governments and public authorities. New research highlights new ways to detect and dispel disinformation online.
Project
The benefits and drawbacks of remote voting solutions
25 Jun 2020

RAND Europe and Open Evidence examined the extent to which remote voting solutions—particularly internet voting—are employed in the European member states. The research identified the costs, risks and challenges associated with seven remote voting options.