Empathy as a Public Value: Overcoming Administrative Vulnerability and Rehumanizing (Digital) Government

Empathy is a fundamental value in evolutionary biology, human communication, and modern management. This paper argues that empathy, defined here as the ability to relate to others, should also be regarded as a public value and be employed as a response to the vulnerability experienced by many citizens when engaging with digital government, automated public services, and algorithmic decision-making. Empathy in citizen-government interactions is increasingly important at a time when human interactions have become rare. The remaining human interactions are characterized by decreasing levels of assistance and compassion due to the lack of time, availability, training, and increasing polarization. This is problematic for two main reasons. First, it excludes citizens in vulnerable circumstances, thus ignoring the possibility that life, law, or socioeconomic circumstances can place citizens in situations that require additional understanding and thus empathic approaches. Second, since vulnerability is inherent to the human condition, empathy in the public sector is essential to ensure the adequate pursuit of the public interest. Drawing on sociolegal and public administration scholarship, we argue that empathy can contribute to good governance as it has the potential to improve government communication, rehumanize government transactions, and contribute to the acceptance of administrative decisions.