About Technequality

  • Technological innovations, such as robotics, big data, increased computing power and machine learning, promise great potential for increasing productivity and boosting general welfare. Furthermore, these innovations play a crucial role in securing the competitiveness and growth of EU economies. However, technological innovations may also have an impact on social inequalities (income, skills, wellbeing and health).  Our goal is to improve the understanding of the relation between current technological innovations and social inequalities, by:

    • Providing better predictions of the consequences of technological innovations for the European labour markets.
    • Understanding which skills are crucial for productive growth and how skill differences can lead to (technology-driven) inequalities in income, education, wellbeing and health.
    • Researching how education (lower, higher and vocational) can prepare today's children and workers for tomorrow's labour market.
    • Assessing how governments can avoid large-scale poverty caused by technological unemployment.
    • Investigating what the consequences of automation (and unemployment) are for income tax and public finances.
    • Comparing the current technological boom with earlier technological revolutions to draw lessons learned.

     

    TECHNEQUALITY will meet its goal by answering the following research questions: 

    1. To what extent will technological innovations affect the employment and employability of workers in Europe?
    2. To what extent and how will technological innovations affect social inequalities in European countries?
    3. To what extent can education produce the skills that are required for the labour market and society?
    4. What are the intended and unintended consequences of social welfare programs designed to cushion technological unemployment?
    5. What are the consequences of automation for public finances at a local and regional level?
    6. How does the impact of current technological innovations differ from that of previous technological revolutions in Europe?

    Each question corresponds to one of our six projects.