‘Public good’ is a term that is frequently used in debates about data, statistics and AI. It has featured prominently in UK government policy and strategy, but the term isn’t always well defined or explored.

But in the UK it can seem like there is little recognition that there are different uses of the term ‘public good’ in debates elsewhere in the world, particularly with the emergence of the concept of ‘digital public good’. Sadly UK policy seems to have gradually become more insular over the last decade as the country has wrangled with the results of the Brexit referendum and a seemingly never-ending carousel of ministers with responsibility for this area.

The UK’s new Labour government’s draft industrial strategy, published in 2022, said that “our second mission will be to harness data for the public good“. It has created a new “digital centre” within DSIT and plans to build a National Data Library.

It seemed a good time to explore the concept of ‘public good’ a bit more., soJob de Roij and I from the RSS’s Data Ethics and Governance section have organised a couple of online events with speakers with expertise in both the UK and more globally.

Both events are free for RSS members, and £10 for non-members.

Read on for more about the two events, the confirmed speakers, and some background reading on the topic.

Event 1: For the public good

The UK Statistics Authority’s Five Year Strategy 2020-2025 is called Statistics for the public good. It also features in Labour’s draft industry strategy.

While some work has been undertaken to unpick this term by understanding how the UK public think of it, and to review how the public good can be enhanced to support policy makers, regulators and practitioners, there is more work to be done to ensure that statistics and statistical processes truly serve the good of the UK public.

Speakers

Starting questions

What do we mean by “serving the public good”? What are the gaps in our understanding of how to make things serve the public good? How do we fill those gaps?

Event 2: As a public good

Meanwhile there is growing attention around the world to the concept of ‘digital public goods’.

The UN defines digital public goods as “solutions and systems that enable the effective provision of essential society-wide functions and services in the public and private sectors”.

Identity assurance and payment systems are well-known examples of digital public goods. Certificate transparency, which underpins website security, a less well-known example.

In the world of statistics things like national statistics or the new ONS Integrated Data Service could be grouped into the concept of digital public goods. But what other kinds of digital public goods might, or should, exist that are relevant to statisticians? 

Speakers

Starting questions

What is a digital public good? When is data, AI and statistics a public good, and when is it not? Are any digital public goods that could help statisticians serve the public good missing? How do we build and govern digital public goods?

Further reading

If you want to read more about this topic then some links are below. Skeet or mail me if you think other things should be added.