Timo Wandhöfer

Paradox of proximity: trust and provenance within the context of social networks and policy

With social networks evolving and integrating within traditional policy domains, the question arises - do we have in our hands a tool for genuine participation, transparency and dialogue, or are the concerns surrounding privacy, trust, provenance and localization still haunting and shaping the arena? In this paper, we discuss this very question via the illustrative lens of the WeGov Project. We start by providing a critical rethinking of e-governance within the context of social media. We then move onto an in depth look at the WeGov project, its toolkit, end-user engagement strategies and methodologies. Finally we draw from our findings some critical insights into the impacts on and implications of such technologies for the policy-making environment. We conclude with a set of recommendations for future work in this area as well as a summary of key lessons learnt within this innovative initiative.

Applying Linked Data Technologies in the Social Sciences

In recent years, Linked Open Data (LOD) has matured and gained acceptance across various communities and domains. Large potential of Linked Data technologies is seen for an application in scientific disciplines. In this article, we present use cases and applications for an application of Linked Data in the social sciences. They focus on (a) interlinking domain-specific information, and (b) linking social science data to external LOD sources (e.g. authority data) from other domains. However, several technical and research challenges arise, when applying Linked Data technologies to a scientific domain with its specific data, information needs and use cases. We discuss these challenges and show how they can be addressed.