A History of British Digital Policy

This project represents an historical, but ultimately inter-disciplinary study of the recent development of a specific and important aspect of British government focus and activity - broadly-defined as 'digital policy'. It stands at the intersection between contemporary institutional history and public policy.

It therefore is associated directly with RA6: Public Policy and Governance, and falls under LISS DTP Pathway 13 'Politics, Public Policy and Governance'.

Its interdisciplinary nature leaves it most closely associated to the ESRC's 'discipline classification' of 'Economic and Social History,' but it will feature elements of 'Politics & International Relations', 'Science & Technology Studies' and 'Social Policy'. It also straddles ESRC/AHRC boundaries, as explained in Section 18 of this application.

The core of the project is primarily historical, and focused on actions of individuals and institutions across British government. It will study three phases of the British government's policy response to the emergence of 'digital policy'.

These phases have been provisionally defined as: 'Digital Horizons' (1987-1992); 'Early Digital' (1992-1997); and 'Modern Digital' (1997- present day).

Whilst much of the early government response was managed within what was then the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the nature of 'digital policy' soon saw the issue become relevant across government more broadly, and the institutional response both spread and diversified.

The thesis will therefore trace this response to changing technologies across British government, both in terms of the relevant policy issues and responses themselves and the machinery and organisation of government.

Equally, it will investigate the responses of both ministers and civil servants across departments and across government as a whole.

It will be necessary to establish definitions of 'digital policy', and provide some history of technology and technological change alongside the institutional, political and regulatory history of the government response to such change.

This will mean that this primarily historical study will be interdisciplinary in nature, requiring different forms of history alongside other social science disciplines (see Section 18).

Research questions include, but are not limited to: What is 'digital policy', how has it been defined in the British context, and by whom? How has this definition and understanding shifted over time? How have successive British governments responded and adapted to the key technological changes since the late 1980s?

How has this institutional response been coordinated across government, and which parts of government have been involved at which points?

What were the motivating factors and considerations between successive restructurings of government responsibility for digital policy? Which individuals have been involved, and what significant choices have been made so far?

How has the machinery of government been altered to respond to the rapid increase in prominence of digital policy? * How has digital regulation developed and evolved over time (from the establishment of Ofcom to the Online Harms Bill)? What, if anything, has been learned from other governments/events overseas?

What have been the key successes, failures, challenges and opportunities in the government's approach to digital policy to date - and what might the lessons be for future policymakers? Boundaries must be drawn to ensure that the project is deliverable.

Digital policy within the Ministry of Defence and intelligence worlds, alongside the issue of cyber security, will be defined as 'out of scope'.

Each of these topics warrants its own study, and the sheer scale of involvement in these policy areas is such that their inclusion would make the study unmanageable.

Whilst international events may be considered at points where they become relevant to the British government, the project will focus primarily