James Rosenberg

James Rosenberg’s research investigates how the use of digital technology as a tool of statecraft shapes relations among states, markets, and citizens. Specifically, he considers the linkage of state-led digital identification systems with digital payment systems through reference to three paradigmatic cases: those of Singapore, India, and the European Union. Rosenberg is interested in what is being done and by whom; how it is being done; why it is being done; and the consequences for the theory and practice of statecraft and citizenship. Moreover, by considering both democratic and non-democratic societies, he aims to grapple with a more profound and disquieting question: are we observing a convergence in governance between democratic and non-democratic societies, toward some form of “new despotism” (Keane 2020)? Or do fundamental differences remain between “digital empires” (Bradford 2023)?