A Moral Political Economy

Abstract

Errors and biases are earning algorithms increasingly malignant reputations in society. A central challenge is that algorithms must bridge the gap between high-level policy and on-the-ground decisions, making inferences in novel situations where the policy or training data do not readily apply. In this paper, we draw on the theory of street-level bureaucracies, how human bureaucrats such as police and judges interpret policy to make on-the-ground decisions. We present by analogy a theory of street-level algorithms, the algorithms that bridge the gaps between policy and decisions about people in a socio-technical system. We argue that unlike street-level bureaucrats, who re exively re ne their decision criteria as they reason through a novel situation, street-level algorithms at best re ne their criteria only after the decision is made. This loop-and-a-half delay results in illogical decisions when handling new or extenuating circumstances. This theory suggests designs for street-level algorithms that draw on historical design patterns for streetlevel bureaucracies, including mechanisms for self-policing and recourse in the case of error.

Mutual Aid as Spiritual Sustenance

“…The labor institutions that make up the moral political economy that political scientists Federica Carugati and Margaret Levi envision will be built from these emerging formations. 16 To achieve this vision, we require a deeper examination of the unpaid labor, nonmonetary transactions, culture of exchange, and relationships that make unions possible. As I consider these factors, my mind goes to the theoretical framework established by economist Nina Banks, which recognizes the collective unpaid work of Black and other racialized women as an economy that supports community well-being and addresses "needs not met by private and public sectors."…”

Big Tech, Algorithmic Power, and Democratic Control

“…More specifically, moving beyond the idea that Big Tech's algorithmic powers are detrimental to democracies, I show why such a diagnosis calls for a specific kind of democratization as a solution. Second, the proposal of CBGs is inspired by and contributes to the burgeoning literature on democratic innovations, particularly its plebeian variant that aims to empower ordinary citizens against economic elites via new institutional mechanisms (McCormick 2011;Vergara 2020;Arlen and Rossi 2021;Carugati and Levi 2021;Arlen 2022;Bagg 2022). The paper justifies a concrete institutional proposal to secure popular control over Big Tech, extending and further developing other proposals in the same spirit (Carugati and Levi 2021;Simons and Ghosh 2020).…”

“…Second, the proposal of CBGs is inspired by and contributes to the burgeoning literature on democratic innovations, particularly its plebeian variant that aims to empower ordinary citizens against economic elites via new institutional mechanisms (McCormick 2011;Vergara 2020;Arlen and Rossi 2021;Carugati and Levi 2021;Arlen 2022;Bagg 2022). The paper justifies a concrete institutional proposal to secure popular control over Big Tech, extending and further developing other proposals in the same spirit (Carugati and Levi 2021;Simons and Ghosh 2020). Lastly, my argument exposes how the technological aspects of some companies give rise to novel forms of political power that cannot be reduced to the general legal features of the business corporation.…”

The Financialization of Housing and Its Political Consequences

“…Radical demands such as expropriation are thus not simply a reaction to rent increases or housing-related economic shocks more broadly, which can increase policy demands for government support (Ahlquist, Copelovitch and Walter 2020). These reactions indicate that voters are so dissatisfied with economic arrangements they believe violate basic rights and notions of fairness (Carugati and Levi 2021;Pattillo 2013) that they question the ability of contemporary policy frameworks to adequately address housing issues and reject financialized in favor of socialized ownership structures. In short, the backlash against financialization can create support for collectivist policies that run counter to economic liberalism.…”