Jurisdictional Gerrymandering: Diagnosing Problems without Proposing Solutions

• In Event: 30416 - The Culture and Politics of Emerging Technology

Abstract

This paper develops the concept of jurisdictional gerrymandering to explain how professionals selectively invoke boundaries around their expertise to frame their role and maintain authority when striving to solve problems defined as outside of their jurisdiction. In contrast to a jurisdictional model of professionals or a model of expert networks, jurisdictional gerrymandering unbundles processes of defining and solving problems and shows how experts can retain authority while not central to problem solving networks. The paper draws on a study of the development of artificial intelligence (AI) models for healthcare. AI practitioners sought to use their projects to advance solutions to health equity, while also recognizing that equity cannot be solved through technology alone. To frame their role and maintain authority, they engaged in jurisdictional gerrymandering, by critiquing, projecting, and distributing jurisdiction for different aspects of defining and solving health equity. Through jurisdictional gerrymandering, professionals develop consensus about problem definitions and retain authority to diagnose and reason about problems but lack clear visions, responsibilities, or accountability to develop solutions.

Author

• Shira Zilberstein, Harvard University