English version of this page

Silvia Masiero

Professor - Informasjonssystemer

E-post silvima@ifi.uio.no

Brukernavn

Besøksadresse Gaustadalléen 30 0373 Oslo

Postadresse Postboks 1080 Blindern 0316 Oslo

Last ned visittkort

My research operates within the area of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D), with a focus on the role of digital platforms in socio-economic development processes. I have conducted extensive work on the computerisation of India's main food security programme, the Public Distribution System (PDS), and on the adoption of ICTs in core aspects of the Indian public sphere including elections, rural employment guarantees and programmes of social protection. Two further areas of current research interest of mine are digital identity systems and the adoption of ICTs in contexts of humanitarian emergency, such as the current global refugee crisis.

My publications have appeared in scholarly journals such as World Development, Journal of Information Technology, Information Systems Journal, Oxford Development Studies, Information Technology for Development, Information Technologies and International Development, Information, Communication & Society, Information Technology & People, Big Data & Society, and the Economic and Political Weekly. I am Editor-In-Chief of Information Technology for Development, Senior Editor for the Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, and Guest Associate Editor for the Information Systems Journal.

I am Chair of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) 9.4 Working Group on the Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development, a Distinguished Member of the Association for Information Systems (AIS), and a member of the ICT4D Collective. I am one of the winners of the AIS Mid-Career Award for the year 2023.

Most of my research is available on Researchgate, my updates can be followed on B luesky and my PhD thesis titled "Imagining the state through digital technologies: A case of state-level computerisation in the Indian Public Distribution System" (London School of Economics and Political Science, 2014) can be downloaded here. My research can also be found on Google Scholar and an updated CV (October 2026) is available here.

My first book, Unfair ID, has been published by Sage in October 2024. I also have a personal blog in which I tell stories of digital identity at the human-technology interface. I am the co-host of the Sociotechs podcast, which narrates phenomena at the intersection of technology and social issues.

Here you can watch the video of my inaugural professorial lecture, "Can the Data Subaltern Speak?", held at University of Oslo on 18 May 2026.

Washik, Maryam; Masiero, Silvia & Hylving, Lena (2026). Tensions and Synergies Between Digital Sovereignties In AI Adoption. Proceedings of European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS). doi: https:/aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/govtrans/govtrans/12/. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
This paper empirically investigates digital sovereignty by examining early AI adoption in a Nordic public transportation organization. We show how digital sovereignty goals evolve across individual and organizational levels as AI is introduced into work settings. Building on our findings, we develop the concept of bidirectional dynamics in digital sovereignties, applying a paradoxical view to interpret institutional control objectives and individual autonomy aspirations as persistent organizational tensions in AI adoption. The study extends digital sovereignty literature by showing how (i) digital sovereignty is an ongoing negotiation between organizational governance and individual autonomy, (ii) early digital transformation presents tensions but also synergies between digital sovereignty levels in AI adoption, and (iii) AI adoption can work as a capability-building process enhancing worker autonomy and organizational resilience. The paper demonstrates the bidirectional dynamics of digital sovereignty, highlights its risks and opportunities, and offers practical insights for organizational resilience and policy.
Amuha, Monica Grace & Masiero, Silvia (2026). The Interplay of Institutional Logics in the Decentralization of an Education Management Information System: A Case of Uganda. Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. 92(3). doi: 10.1002/isd2.70066. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Sokolaj, Ursula; Grundstrom, Casandra Ann & Masiero, Silvia (2025). Conceptualizing Inclusive eParticipation. A Systematic Literature Review. I Hofmann, Sara; Danneels, Lieselot; Dobbe, Roel; Novak, Anna-Sophie; Parycek, Peter; Schwabe, Gerhard; Spitzer, Vera & Ubacht, Jolien (Red.), Electronic Participation- 17th IFIP WG 8.5 International Conference, ePart 2025, Krems, Austria, August 31–September 4, 2025, Proceedings. Springer. ISSN 9783032025142. s. 3–18. doi: 10.1007/978-3-032-02515-9_1. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
The widespread use of ICT and the internet has compelled governments worldwide to rethink how they engage in dialogue with citizens. These technology-mediated interactions have given rise to eParticipation, a concept with significant potential to address...
Madon, Shirin & Masiero, Silvia (2024). Digital connectivity and the SDGs: Conceptualising the link through an institutional resilience lens. Telecommunications Policy. ISSN 0308-5961. s. 1–14. doi: 10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102879. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
In this paper we contribute to the discourse on digital connectivity and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on low and middle-income countries (LMICs). While digital connectivity has been showcased as a “hidden hero” for restoring societal functioning during the pandemic, the theoretical link between digital connectivity and the achievement of fundamental development objectives as articulated in the SDGs has been under-researched. Drawing on the theoretical lens of institutional resilience, we study how mechanisms of resilience-building through digital connectivity policies within Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa align with the policies in place to attain the SDGs. Adopting the methodology of critical policy analysis, we identify commonalities between the countries in terms of the policy and institutional arrangements for expanding digital connectivity and in terms of national planning efforts for achieving the goals of Agenda 2030. We offer a new conceptualisation about ICTs and the SDGs by bringing to light, through empirical evidence, the lack of alignment between the policy and institutional arrangements for expanding the reach of digital connectivity and the achievement of developmental goals.
Amuha, Monica Grace; Masiero, Silvia & Sanner, Terje Aksel (2023). Taking a Leaf from Health: Implementation of a Decentralized Education Management Information System in Uganda. I Jones, Matthew (Red.), After Latour: Globalisation, Inequity and Climate Change. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783031501531. s. 156–174. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-50154-8_13. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
Education management information systems (EMIS) play a critical role in providing quality data for effective decision making and design of appropriate interventions. Over the last two decades, the health sector in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) has seen the emergence of robust and responsive health management information systems (HMIS). On the contrary, the education sector lacks comprehensive and flexible information systems for reporting and management of key education data, resulting in fragmentation and limited education data use above the school level. Against this backdrop, this paper presents key lessons from the implementation of a standardized HMIS in the health sector in Uganda, which has informed the implementation of a decentralized EMIS. Drawing from an action research approach to EMIS strengthening in Uganda, we provide guidance to education managers and policy makers in LMICs seeking to enhance education data standardization, management and use.
Masiero, Silvia (2023). Dark side of IT: A misleading expression? Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. doi: 10.1002/isd2.12293. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Wyers, Katherine; Nicholson, Brian; Russpatrick, Scott McKee & Masiero, Silvia (2023). Identity Platforms and Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation: Implications for Safeguarding Personal Data. I Jones, Matthew (Red.), After Latour: Globalisation, Inequity and Climate Change. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783031501531. s. 209–217. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-50154-8_16. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
Little is known about how digital identity platforms can be managed and operated in countries where governments have introduced anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. This work-in-progress study explores the tensions associated with digital identity platforms in these contexts. It draws on concepts from actor network theory to analyze field data collected by the authors in the Health Information Systems (HISP) research programme around a digital platform (DHIS2) that is installed in 114 countries globally, primarily in the health sector. The study identifies contradictory interests among the human and non-human actors, and analyzes these according to (1) the operation of a digital identity platform in a legally gray area, (2) visibility and invisibilization of vulnerable populations, and (3) human rights vs neo-colonialism. In particular, the paper identifies the potential for enrollment of the identity platform technology from intended into realities of use in identifying LGBTQ+ individuals and groups, identifying risks of data-induced harm and routes to overcoming them.
Masiero, Silvia (2023). Digital Identity Platforms: A Data Justice Perspective. I NN, NN (Red.), 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2023). ScholarSpace. ISSN 9780998133164. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Tavares, Ana Paula dos Santos & Masiero, Silvia (2023). Digital Identity and Social Protection Programs: Leaving no one Behind? Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems ECIS 2023. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200087. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
Digital identity platforms, designed to enable secure and unique authentication of users, are widely depicted as a means to strengthen public service systems. Yet, this vision is questioned by studies illuminating how digital authentication results in exclusions, data violations and other forms of harm generated on users. This paper contributes a vision of digital identity inspired by the concept of data justice, which views data in terms of the fairness with which users are seen, represented and treated. Drawing on a data justice framework, we study a dataset of web sources (2021-2022) in terms of the legal, informational and design-related forms of injustice stemming from digital identification. By doing so we contribute to the emerging literature on digital identity, offering a conceptual lens to understand and ultimately combat the injustice generated through it.
Marabelli, Marco; Zaza, Sam; Masiero, Silvia; Li, Jingyao & Chudoba, Kathy (2023). Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the AIS: Challenges and opportunities of remote conferences. Information Systems Journal. ISSN 1350-1917. doi: 10.1111/isj.12458. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Amuha, Monica Grace & Masiero, Silvia (2022). Data Use as Liberation: A Case from an Education Management Information System in Uganda. I Zheng, Y.; Abbott, P. & Robles-Flores, J. A. (Red.), Freedom and Social Inclusion in a Connected World : 17th IFIP WG 9.4 International Conference on Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development. Springer. ISSN 9783031194290. s. 504–514. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-19429-0_30. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
The Information Systems (IS) literature explores multiple consequences of data use practices, including the role of such practices in achieving empowerment. Limited knowledge is, however, available on the role of data use in fighting political bias, a phenomenon through which an individual or a group’s political influence diverts resources away from their optimal purposes. In this paper we rely on Freire’s concept of liberation to study a pilot project of an Education Management Information System (EMIS), conducted in two districts in Uganda, to illuminate the links between EMIS data use and the delinking of education managers from political bias. Our field data enable us to theorise EMIS data use as a practice of liberation, aimed at strengthening decision making processes crucial to development policy.
Masiero, Silvia (2022). Should we still be doing ICT4D research? Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. s. 1–12. doi: 10.1002/isd2.12215. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia (2022). Decolonising critical information systems research: A subaltern approach. Information Systems Journal. ISSN 1350-1917. doi: 10.1111/isj.12401. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Malik, Fareesa; Heeks, Richard; Masiero, Silvia & Nicholson, Brian (2021). Digital labour platforms in Pakistan: Institutional voids and solidarity networks. Information Technology and People. ISSN 0959-3845. doi: 10.1108/ITP-04-2020-0218. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia & Arvidsson, Viktor (2021). Degenerative outcomes of digital identity platforms for development. Information Systems Journal. ISSN 1350-1917. 31(6), s. 903–928. doi: 10.1111/isj.12351. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
Digital identity platforms are widely regarded as important means to improve social protection systems. Yet these platforms have been implicated in the production of a range of unintended outcomes for development beneficiaries. To clarify how digital identity platforms enable the production of one such outcome that we call degenerative, because it causes target systems to deteriorate, we conduct a case study of the incorporation of Aadhaar, the world's largest digital identity platform, in India's primary food security scheme. Based on the data from two South Indian states, we show how the incorporation produced degenerative effects in the access, monitoring, and policy layers of the social protection system. These effects lead us to theorise how Aadhaar enabled the degenerative outcome via exclusion, distortion, and redirection, making public distribution of subsidised goods displaceable in favour of cash transfers.
Masiero, Silvia & Aaltonen, Aleksi (2021). Assessing Gender Bias in the Information Systems Field: An Analysis of the Impact on Citations. I Masiero, Silvia & Nielsen, Petter (Red.), IFIP 9.4 2021 – 1st Virtual Conference Conference Theme: Resilient ICT4D. Proceedings. Universitetet i Oslo. ISSN 9788273684622. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia & Bailur, Savita (2021). Digital identity for development: The quest for justice and a research agenda. Information Technology for Development. ISSN 0268-1102. 27(1), s. 1–12. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2021.1859669. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia & Buddha, Chakradhar (2021). Data Justice in Digital Social Welfare: A Study of the Rythu Bharosa Scheme. I Masiero, Silvia & Nielsen, Petter (Red.), IFIP 9.4 2021 – 1st Virtual Conference Conference Theme: Resilient ICT4D. Proceedings. Universitetet i Oslo. ISSN 9788273684622. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia; Milan, Stefania & Trere', Emiliano (2021). COVID-19 from the Margins: Crafting a (Cosmopolitan) Theory. Global Media Journal - German Edition (GMJ-DE). 11(1). Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia & Shakthi, S. (2020). Grappling with Aadhaar: Biometrics, Social Identity and the Indian State. South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal (SAMAJ). 23, s. 1–8. doi: 10.4000/samaj.6279. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia (2020). COVID-19: What does it mean for digital social protection? Big Data & Society (BD&S). 7(2), s. 1–6. doi: 10.1177/2053951720978995. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia (2020). Biometric infrastructures and the Indian public distribution system. South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal (SAMAJ). 23, s. 1–22. doi: 10.4000/samaj.6459. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

Se alle arbeider i NVA

Akbari, Azadeh & Masiero, Silvia (2025). Critical ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development). Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781032498966. doi: 10.4324/9781003395966. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia & Kowal, Jolanta (2024). Proceedings of the 16th Annual AIS SIG GlobDev Pre-ICIS Workshop (GLOBDEV 2024, Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday December 15, 2024). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISBN 9781958200131. 200 s. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia & Nielsen, Petter (2021). IFIP 9.4 2021 – 1st Virtual Conference Conference Theme: Resilient ICT4D. Proceedings. Universitetet i Oslo. ISBN 9788273684622. 1018 s. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Milan, Stefania; Trere', Emiliano & Masiero, Silvia (2021). COVID-19 from the Margins: Pandemic invisibilities, policies and resistance in the datafied society. Institute of Network Cultures. ISBN 9789492302724. 282 s. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv

Se alle arbeider i NVA

Masiero, Silvia (2024). Putting design justice at the center of ICT4D. Information Technology for Development. ISSN 0268-1102. 30(4), s. 585–589. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2024.2418156. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Davison, Robert M; Bailey, Arlene; Ruhode, Ephias; Walsham, Geoff; Belle, Jean-Paul Van & Biljon, Judy van [Vis alle 15 forfattere av denne artikkelen] (2024). Past practices, current debates and disputes - Future engagements and opportunities regarding digital transformation for sustainable development : Working Group 9.4 Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development. I Leslie, Christopher & Kreps, David (Red.), Current Directions in ICT and Society - IFIP TC9 50th Anniversary Anthology. Springer. ISSN 9783031507571. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Vannini, Sara; Tandon, Ayushi & Masiero, Silvia (2024). Feminist and queer approaches to ICT4D: imagining and enacting liberation. Information Technology for Development. ISSN 0268-1102. 30(2), s. 195–208. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2024.2360808. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia (2024). The shape of ICT4D to come. Information Technology for Development. ISSN 0268-1102. 30(1), s. 1–9. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2024.2313395. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia (2022). Book review: Patching development: information politics and social change in India. Information Technology for Development. ISSN 0268-1102. 28(3), s. 639–642. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2022.2090745. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Khene, Caroline & Masiero, Silvia (2022). From research to action: the practice of decolonizing ICT4D. Information Technology for Development. ISSN 0268-1102. 28(3), s. 443–450. doi: 10.1080/02681102.2022.2103951. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia (2021). Beyond touchscreens: The perils of biometric social welfare in lockdown. I Milan, Stefania (Red.), COVID-19 from the Margins: Pandemic invisibilities, policies and resistance in the datafied society. Institute of Network Cultures. ISSN 9789492302724. s. 116–119. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia & Bailur, Savita (2021). Data-driven identities. I Sridhar, V. (Red.), Data-centric Living: Algorithms, Digitization and Regulation. Taylor & Francis. ISSN 9780367536534. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia & Nielsen, Petter (2021). Resilient ICT4D: Building and Sustaining Our Community in Pandemic Times. I Masiero, Silvia & Nielsen, Petter (Red.), IFIP 9.4 2021 – 1st Virtual Conference Conference Theme: Resilient ICT4D. Proceedings. Universitetet i Oslo. ISSN 9788273684622. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Milan, Stefania; Trere', Emiliano & Masiero, Silvia (2021). Introduction: COVID-19 seen from the land of otherwise. I Milan, Stefania (Red.), COVID-19 from the Margins: Pandemic invisibilities, policies and resistance in the datafied society. Institute of Network Cultures. ISSN 9789492302724. s. 14–21. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Masiero, Silvia & Aaltonen, Aleksi (2020). Gender Bias in Information Systems Research: A Literature Review. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv
Amuha, Monica Grace; Masiero, Silvia; Braa, Kristin & Sanner, Terje Aksel (2026). Empowerment of District Managers with Data: An Institutional Logics Analysis of Education Management Information System Decentralization in Uganda. Universitetet i Oslo. Fulltekst i vitenarkiv Vis sammendrag
Within decentralized education systems, district education managers serve as critical intermediaries that translate national education policies into implementation realities at the lower levels. Despite being responsible for planning, monitoring, and supporting service delivery, they face challenges responding to diverse local needs due to limited decision-making authority, constrained resources, and insufficient access to timely data for decision-making. This thesis examines how the decentralization of Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) relates to the empowerment of district managers within Uganda’s education sector. While EMIS reforms are often framed as technical interventions aimed at improving data quality and efficiency, this study positions EMIS decentralization as a sociotechnical and institutional process embedded within a complex governance environment with non-linear empowerment outcomes. The study uses an institutional logics perspective to explore how multiple, sometimes competing, logics such as development project impact, political influence, and professionalism interact to influence the empowerment of district managers with data for decision-making at the sub-national level. Based on an action research project, the research investigates how these multiple logics shape EMIS decentralization and how district actors negotiate these logics as they adopt new data practices, assume greater responsibility for data management, and seek autonomy in decision-making. Using an interpretive qualitative research design—including interviews, observations, and document analysis—the study examines how EMIS decentralization can either enable or constrain empowerment, depending on the alignment or tensions between institutional logics. The findings show that while digital tools can expand access to information and strengthen local agency, empowerment emerges with alignment between institutional logics, organizational structures and routines, and the distribution of decision-making authority. The thesis contributes to the literature by offering an empirically grounded account of how institutional logics mediate the empowerment potential of digital information systems in public sector governance. By highlighting the conditions under which EMIS decentralization can strengthen local decision-making, the study provides theoretical insights and practical implications for policymakers and development partners seeking to design digital initiatives for strengthening decentralized governance of education systems.

Se alle arbeider i NVA

Publisert 24. aug. 2020 08:58 - Sist endret 9. okt. 2026 08:55