Lisbon, Feb. 25, 2021 (Lusa) - Portugal's secretary of state for digital transition has said that it is a "mistake" to think that social sciences can stay "on the sidelines" of the digital transition since they can greatly benefit from the incorporation of technology.

In a webinar on the digital qualifications of European citizens, André de Aragão Azevedo began by saying that the "idea that there is digital and then the other areas makes no sense" since there is "a conviction that all businesses have today a strong digitalisation component".

Answering a question about the contribution of social sciences in this process, Azevedo said that "it is a mistake" to think that "they are on the margin" of the digital transition, which "often results from an almost self-exclusion, saying that they do not see themselves and do not identify so much".

They do not realize that they are "missing a great opportunity, because the social science processes or methodologies can greatly benefit from the incorporation of technology, whether in market research or the processing of large volumes of information", he pointed out.

He highlighted the importance of the "diversity of curricula and backgrounds of many of these people", which "greatly enrich organisations".

The economist Susana Peralta, also present at the discussion, underlined the "absolutely fundamental" role of social sciences in issues such as the "protection of privacy" and the "protection of the right to disconnect", in which "there is an enormous challenge from the legislative and ethical point of view to take into account".

Peralta also appealed to the fact that the digital transition could "leave out a section of people who lack the skills to keep up with digitalisation".

"We know that regardless of all the goodwill we may have as a society, and as a government to empower and train people, there is a threat that has been put on the table by some researchers that there will be a massive loss of jobs and we have to work with that scenario on the table," she said.

Sociology, political science and economics have a "significant contribution to make from the point of view of public policies and of having an inclusive democracy", she stated.

Peralta also highlighted the importance of psychology regarding the "relationship between man and machine", as this can lead to "exclusion from the labour market" and will "certainly have a mental health dimension".

Helena Martins, from Google, pointed out the lack of dialogue between science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the social sciences, which translates into "a 'gap' between a technological innovation and a public policy that addresses the effects of this innovation, whether positively or negatively".

André de Aragão Azevedo, Susana Peralta and Helena Martins participated on Thursday in a webinar on "Digital Europe: The Qualification of European Citizens in the 21st Century", organized by the Centre for Public Administration and Policy (CAPP) of the University of Lisbon and the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU).

JAYG/ADB // ADB.

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