TRANSLATING ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION IN SOCIAL WORK: ASPIRATIONAL CHANGES AND THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY

Automated decision-making using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is increasingly found in public- supported social work. This study analyses two cases in which RP A was implemented and disseminated in social work in Sweden. The first case took place in a Swedish municipality; the second case took place in a project conducted by the Swedish national agency for municipalities. These cases involve translations of aspirational changes related to RPA in decisions on social assistance. The study uses Actor-Network Theory to highlight organizational areas and issues in social work that must be addressed when RPA is implemented and disseminated. The study’s research questions are the following: What are the leading actors ́ ideas about aspirational changes related to RPA in decisions on social assistance? What is the role of technology in this context? The study revealed some similar aspirational changes in the two cases related to change management and maximization of services. Variations were found in other aspirational changes for RPA such as the issue of trust in applicants and the role of caseworkers. The study points to the need to increase applicants’ use of, and facility with, information technology. The formulation of “a why” behind these changes is important for caseworkers’ future role and use of discretion

‘It Is Always an Individual Assessment’: A Case Study on Challenges of Automation of Income Support Services

Part 2: E-Government Services and Open GovernmentInternational audienceIncome support schemes are key policies in an inclusive welfare state. To make them legitimate they are strictly regulated. As such they provide good prerequisites for standardization and automation, in theory. The aim of this paper is to analyze a case of municipal administration of income support, where automatization is resisted despite managements’ ambitions. We focus on the case workers’ interpretations of changes conducive to automatization and discuss how different service logics may explain the tensions and resistance of the frontline case workers. Our findings suggest that digitalisation and automatization challenge the balance of two logics and raise concerns of accountability in exercise of public authority; and concerns of value in terms of support towards self-sustainability and social integration of the clients (We are humbly grateful to the research council FORTE, for the opportunity to carry this research, through financing of the project: “The computer says no!” – en studie om det offentligas legitimitet och medborgares tillit när e-förvaltningen växer fram. We are also grateful to our informants in the Income Support unit in the municipality who shared their perceptions and experiences in this research.)