A Research Agenda for Big Data and the Law

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary.

This forward-thinking Research Agenda examines the wide-ranging impact of big data and considers what kind of regulatory framework is needed in response. Challenging the perception of big data as a driver of progress, leading scholars identify the legal debates that should guide the next phase of research.

Questioning dominant assumptions about scale, innovation and technological development, contributing authors assess how big data has reshaped domains including climate policy, children’s online safety, digital health, transport and finance. They highlight that data-driven systems are not neutral or cost free, outlining their dependence on resource-intensive infrastructures. The Research Agenda explores how this dependence can allocate responsibilities unequally across many actors and move faster than the law, compounding inequality. It concludes that governance must move beyond narrow compliance models towards more coherent approaches grounded in accountability, transparency, sustainability and justice.

Combining conceptual and doctrinal analysis with practical insights, A Research Agenda for Big Data and the Law is an essential guide for scholars and students of technology law, data protection law, and intellectual property law. Policymakers and regulators in media law and financial regulation will also find its discussions on regulatory gaps, governance models and emerging legal challenges invaluable.