Justice / Publication
January 02, 2025

The Violence of Algorithmic Systems in Social Policy in Colombia: (Re) Localising the Digital Welfare State in the Postcolonial Context

This chapter analyses the case of Sisben and the Household Social Registry used by the Colombian state to define who is eligible for social rights. The chapter argues that these systems are not simply a product of technological determinism but reflect the historical tendencies of structural violence in Colombia.

Abstract

While global research on digital technology in social security often spotlights nations in the Global North, this chapter directs attention to the postcolonial context. The chapter traces the history of the Sisben system, used to classify communities in the 1990s, to the Household Social Registry, which is currently used to select beneficiaries for social programs. The chapter argues that these systems have been used to depoliticise the claims of marginalised communities and to render their social rights as a product of benevolence or good luck. The chapter concludes by arguing that the Colombian case shows that the datafication of social programs is not simply a product of a surveillance state or the mindless implementation of digital technologies, but rather it is a complex phenomenon that reflects the historical and political contexts. By offering a localised perspective, this chapter seeks to pluralise the discourse and counter universalist claims, ultimately advocating for localised actions of resistance against systemic violence.

To continue reading please visit: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003395966-8

This book chapter was published in Critical ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development) on 2 January 2025.

Lopez-Solano, J. (2025). The Violence of Algorithmic Systems in Social Policy in Colombia: (Re) Localising the Digital Welfare State in the Postcolonial Context. In Critical ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003395966-8

Keywords: Social policy, welfare