Dr Nika Mahnič will discuss the findings of their PhD research, a genealogy of the British digital welfare state. In particular, this talk reflects on the applicability of the organising concept of ‘the indentured state’. The ‘state’ of the indentured state refers to the state as a political formation, as well as to the state as an entity’s condition. Indenture refers to the state of being captive; to contracts, debt, workfare, and servitude. The thesis addressed two forms of indebtedness: of people to the (workfare) state, and of the (workfare) state to the market. It reveals how the various contracts, or indentures, make governments indebted to the builders and rentiers of the e-state, and taxpayers and benefit recipients indebted to the state whose governors decided to socialise risk and further the indentured state of many of its subjects – predominantly, however, of those who have always been subjects, not citizens proper.

The indentured state is connected to several meanings of the word indenture: from contracts, more broadly, to indentured servitude. What are, and what should, be the limits of applicability of this concept? How to think about the applicability of a concept in an era in which local authorities in different countries utilise the same or similar computational infrastructure? How to research computational infrastructures that are outsourced and (partly) proprietary? Approaching social (in)security from the perspective of data justice, Dr Mahnič will present their heuristic as a means to investigating digital transformation.

Meet the speaker

Nika Mahnič completed their PhD in Political Science at Queen Mary University of London. Their research on the digital condition(ality) stems from engagement in the civic technology space, more than a decade of theorising the possibilities and limitations of digital politics, and a stint in the UK Government. They have been teaching interdisciplinary modules at King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London. Nika also collaborated as a postdoctoral researcher on projects that critically examined the public sector deployment of artificial intelligence in the UK and Europe. They have just accepted an offer for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position at Goldsmiths, University of London, on the project STATETECH: Examining the computational transformation of the European social model.

The series is open to the public. If you are interested in attending one of the events, please contact Dr Francesca Meloni (francesca.meloni@kcl.ac.uk) or Dr Alanah Mortlock (alanah.mortlock@kcl.ac.uk)