Advancing Data Justice in the Future Generations Act

Project Type

The Future Generations Act (FGA) was implemented in 2015 with the aim to advance social, cultural, environmental and economic well-being through the public sector. This project explored the possibilities for advancing data justice in the context of the FGA. A scoping exercise was carried out to identify possible strategic areas at the intersection of the FGA and data justice, and a literature review of policy documents and academic publications was conducted. A virtual policy hacking workshop was organised to which over 40 people were invited.

The project’s research found that within the Future Generations (Wales) Act public procurement provides avenues for social value but this is not yet widely applied to digital procurement; data collection and sharing require more public dialogue and citizen involvement; there needs to be a distinction between token and meaningful public engagement.

Policy makers and professionals in the Welsh Government engaged well with the project. However, whilst there may be a will to advance data justice, there are historical and structural barriers in place. The research indicates a discrepancy between the vision of the Future Generations (Wales) Act and how it is being implemented in practice. Advancing real change in how data-driven technologies are understood, pursued, designed, implemented and used in the public sector requires structural and institutional reform.

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