Between Silos and Networks: Digital Infrastructures and Reconfiguration of Expertise in the Belgian Justice System

Lisa Pelssers

doi:10.35295/osls.iisl.2341

Autori

Lisa Pelssers University of Liège https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7087-865X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.2341

Parole chiave:

boundary work, protective connectedness, public sector supply chain, networks of expertise, ANT, digital infrastructures

Abstract

This article investigates how the introduction of the Mammoet at Central Hosting (MaCH) digital case-management system reshapes expertise within the Belgian road traffic criminal justice supply chain. Conceptualizing the supply chain as a multi-level network comprising interconnected yet institutionally distinct actors, the study draws on Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and boundary work perspectives. It employs a qualitative, multi-case approach to analyze how MaCH mediates professional practices among judges, prosecutors, clerks, and technologists. Findings reveal that MaCH significantly streamlines administrative tasks before and after court hearings, redistributing responsibilities and prompting shifts in professional expertise boundaries. Judicial professionals strategically adopt a "protective connectedness" approach, balancing collaboration with boundary protection to preserve core expertise and maintain control over critical decision-making processes. Ultimately, the article contributes to understanding digitalization’s complex role in reconfiguring professional expertise in supply chain judicial contexts.

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Biografia autore

Lisa Pelssers, University of Liège

Lisa Pelssers is a PhD candidate in political and social sciences at the Centre de Recherche et d’Interventions Sociologiques (CRIS) of the University of Liège (ULiège) in Belgium. Her main research interest are the digitalization of courts and tribunals, and more specifically, on the role of digital instruments in redefining practices, knowledge, and interactions among the actors involved in the making of law. Her articles have appeared in journals such as Revue interdisciplinaire d'études juridiques and Recht der Werkelijkheid. Email: lisa.pelssers@uliege.be

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