Managing COVID-19 in Morocco: The adoption of novel technology tools in assisting expert policy advisors

The COVID-19 pandemic showed that new digital tools played a major role in the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies aimed at containing and defeating the virus. However, relying on digital tools should not undermine the role of experts in the policy process. This paper answers the foll...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian journal of public administration 2024-06, Vol.83 (2), p.257-268
Main Author: AIT EL CAID, Hamid
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adoption of innovations
Advisors
Artificial intelligence
Case studies
Consultants
COVID-19
COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-)
Deployment
digital knowledge
Emergency management
Expertise
Experts
Morocco
Pandemics
policy experts
Policy making
Public policy
Public policy (Law)
Technological innovations
Technology
Viruses
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:The COVID-19 pandemic showed that new digital tools played a major role in the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies aimed at containing and defeating the virus. However, relying on digital tools should not undermine the role of experts in the policy process. This paper answers the following question as a means of examining the relationship between technology and expertise: to what extent has the introduction of technology-assisted tools complemented and empowered health experts to provide more effective policy advice? By answering this question, the paper investigates the opportunities and challenges of technology-backed sources of 'policy knowledge' as 'advisory assistants' of conventional expert communities in the policy processes. Drawing on a case study from a developing country, I demonstrate how the introduction of the 'Wiqaytna' mobile application in Morocco facilitated reporting of higher risk locations and provided operational feedback for 'the scientific committee' enabling them to deliver more efficient and effective actions against COVID-19, despite the underlying technical and ethical problems associated with the use of such tools.
ISSN:0313-6647
1467-8500
DOI:10.1111/1467-8500.12637