DataSpace Lecture Series - States of Solidarity: Data governance in digital societies

Many contemporary crises - from climate change to democratic backsliding and rapid digital transformation - are framed as caused by external disruptions. In this talk, drawing on my book States of Solidarity, I argue that these pressures also reveal a deeper problem: the erosion of states’ capacities to accommodate and protect solidaristic relations among people and across generations. In the digital domain, this erosion has contributed to the concentration of power in a small number of actors, while the risks of datafication are widely distributed. I propose three design principles for solidaristic institutions - equal dignity and capacity to contribute, indirect reciprocity, and the avoidance of humiliation - and explore how they can guide data governance, digital infrastructures, and emerging data spaces toward more democratic and socially beneficial outcomes.

Barbara Prainsack is a professor at the Department of Political Science at the University Vienna, and a co-director of the University of Vienna's Center for Advanced Studies (ViCAS). Her work explores the social, ethical, and regulatory dimensions of data-driven practices, as well as practices and institutions of solidarity in medicine and beyond. Her new monograph States of Solidarity: How to build a society was published in March 2026 (Oxford University Press). Barbara is also involved in policy-related work, e.g. as Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies which advises the European Commission.

About the DataSpace Lecture Series: The DataSpace Lecture Series is a series of lectures aiming to convene scholars and academic voices on health data, data infrastructures and related concerns about representation, power, and political economy. In the autumn semester, more lectures will follow. The series is organized by the DataSpace Research Group in collaboration with the Centre for Medical Science and Technology Studies (MeST).

Find more information about DataSpace and the lecture series here.