Critical Systems Thinking and the Management of Complexity by Jackson Michael C.;

Critical Systems Thinking and the Management of Complexity by Jackson Michael C.;

Author:Jackson, Michael C.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
Published: 2019-02-15T17:07:53+00:00


A second significant SAST workshop held by the Census Bureau, on 2–4 March 2005, was around the issue of privacy. On two occasions, in 2002, the Department of Homeland Security asked the Bureau to provide information on Middle‐eastern ethnic communities and it obliged. When this became known, even though the information could have been easily obtained from the Bureau's website, serious concerns were raised about its practices. The Director, Louis Kincannon, asked Barabba to conduct another SAST workshop on how the Bureau could reconcile the rights of individuals to privacy with its commitment to providing vital information to inform the decision‐making of individuals, organizations, and government. The participants included executives from the Bureau, experts in privacy issues and the use of data, and representatives from the Arab American League and the Civil Liberties Union. On this occasion, three teams representing diverse perspectives on the issues were formed. Group A was asked to support and defend the position that the value of having information available that could contribute to knowledge overwhelmed the concerns of individuals for privacy. Group B was to make the best case it could for the efficient and effective collection of accurate information while recognizing that the Bureau, whatever it did, was still likely to be accused of breaching confidentiality. Group C took the position that the current laws adequately protected the identity of individuals and that the Bureau needed to work harder to convince individuals that their fears were groundless. Each group identified relevant stakeholders and the assumptions they needed to make about them to support their arguments. These assumptions were rated as to their importance and certainty. The best cases that could be made for the different positions were presented and clarified in a plenary session. The groups went away to consider the assumptions made by the others that were most troubling to them and then reconvened for further discussion and debate. Six issues arose continually and were targeted for further research:

What is the process by which the Census Bureau exercises discretion in determining how and what to collect and to distribute it?

Does the Census Bureau need to address inferential harm? For example, where information collected about a group could result in harm to an individual member of that group

If the Census Bureau collects information, is it thereby compelled to report it?

How can the dialogue between the Census Bureau and its stakeholders be enhanced?

How can we ensure that technology has positive and not negative effects?

How does the Census Bureau design robustness into operations to address future conditions and unintended consequences?



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