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Health, Algorithms, and AI: Perspectives from Economics and Sociology of Conventions

Karolin Eva Kappler (2025)

In Rainer Diaz-Bone & Guillemette de Larquier (eds.), Handbook of economics and sociology of conventions. Cham: Springer, Online first

Abstract. The economics and sociology of conventions (EC/SC) has been widely applied to health(care), identifying a plurality of values related to health as well as analyzing ongoing developments in terms of commodification, industrialization, and digitization. These transformations, also known as (digitally enhanced) evidence-based medicine, predictive medicine, patient-centered health, or smart health, are particularly driven by specific investment in forms—specifically algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI).
After a short introduction to algorithms and AI and their areas of application, such as public health, processes in healthcare (health services research), medical research, prevention, prediction, risk profiling, diagnostics, therapy, prognosis, rehabilitation, and care, the chapter will, in a first step, review the discourses around algorithms and AI from an EC/SC perspective, linking the promises and harms around these digital investment in forms with the corresponding order of justification and understanding of the common good. In a second step, a connection is made between data worlds and algorithmic worlds, discussing the value-driven conflicts between market-driven approaches, bias-critical, and decolonial movements, algorithms for public good-designs, and developments based on fairness, transparency, and accountability. With its focus on investments in forms, the EC/SC sheds not only an alternative light on the algorithmic construction of reality but offers insights into the ongoing negotiations on technological regulation and governance.

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