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
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 in the strategic areas of oceans, green transition, health and welfare, cohesion and globalisation, and technology and digitalisation.
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
Examining the digital skills gap
21 Jun 2021

Researchers are conducting a macro-level analysis of the key trends that drive the digital skills gap and are looking at the evidence to see what practical steps are being taken to address this challenge and potentially ‘close’ the gap.
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
Using social media data to ‘nowcast’ migration around the globe
05 Nov 2020

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 are developing an approach to compute near real-time migration estimates for Europe and the United States using social media data.
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
Exploring the criminal use of Zcash and cryptocurrencies
06 May 2020

While most transactions made with virtual coins are legitimate, cryptocurrencies have also been used for criminal purposes. Researchers found no evidence of widespread illicit use of Zcash, but that may be because malicious users do not fully understand its operating model.
Commentary
COVID-19: The Questions Ahead for Future Travel and Transport
15 Apr 2020

COVID-19 could have lasting effects on future travel patterns. Future scenarios, a method for visualizing different possible futures, can help inform decisions in deeply uncertain situations and can be used to think about policies that are important for people's quality of life regardless of how the future unfolds.
Commentary
It Is More Important Than Ever for Employers to Look After Staff Health and Wellbeing
09 Apr 2020

COVID-19 will likely have a direct effect on the health and wellbeing of employees. While many employers responding to the COVID-19 crisis have understandably been concerned with business resilience, processes, and performance, it is important that they also continue to focus on the health and wellbeing of staff.