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Paper short abstract

In this presentation we introduce a concept of digital preparedness as a critical inroad to the study of digital politics. We develop our concept through an analysis of digital responses to the Covid pandemic in Norway, focusing on the rapid creation of a preparedness registry.

Paper long abstract

In this presentation we introduce a concept of digital preparedness as a critical inroad to the

study of digital politics in the 21st century. Digital preparedness is a hybrid form of

governance mobilised to enhance future capacity for emergency response through

increased data connectivity and collaboration across domains. It is triggered by a state

of exception and works through a dual suspension: of rights and regulations, on the

one hand, and of hindrances to digital innovation in the public sector and health data

infrastructures on the other. We develop our concept through an analysis of digital

responses to the Covid pandemic in Norway, focusing on the rapid creation of a

preparedness registry. This registry integrated previously siloed health databases with

mobility, social services, education, and defence data, while simultaneously justifying

expansions of Norway’s extensive health data ecosystem. We describe how digital

preparedness was used to instigate regulatory and institutional reforms, and to

overcome prior 'barriers' (such as fundamental rights) to increasingly connect

heterogeneous data sources. We conclude by identifying the defining features of digital

preparedness as a mode of governance and we consider its implications for digital

politics and crisis management.