Politics, Technology and Trust in the Fight Against Covid-19

There is a strong connection between politics and technology in the anti-COVID-19 measures. Many Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and Taiwan are using technology to create a political environment to contain COVID-19. Herein lies the interplay between politics and technology. The use of technology requires deregulation and quick decision making, while technology is expected to be used for public health management for public purposes. Another political issue is the trade-off between public security-safety and the protection of privacy-personal freedom. It is believed that emphasizing public safety and restricting personal freedom for that purpose is something that authoritarian regimes excel at and cannot be done in democracies. However, the reality is different. Even in democracies, governments can implement dynamic anti-covid measures if there is a high level of trust in the government. In this sense, a strong link exists between politics and technology, but it is the trust in the government that makes it possible. Thus this session examines the relationship between politics, technology, and trust through a comparison of Asian countries.

Date: October 19, 2021 15:30-17:30 (JST = GMT+9)

Panelists:
Toru Oga (Kyushu University)
Hsuanlei Shao (Taiwan Normal University)
Jocelyn Celero (University of the Philippines, Diliman)

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