Administrative technology enabled modern statecraft, but now complicates it. I build support for this claim by analyzing data from two populous socio-economic realms that are empowered by platform technology. With platforms, each domain can leverage their material and human resources to assemble “apopoli,” digital enclaves that exist away from the coercive forces that previously constrained them. The newfound agency of such spaces is constrained by “regulatory residuals”—practical considerations and legitimacy concerns that remain and/or surface—but regulators are also forced to adapt.

About the speaker:

Isak Ladegaard is an Assistant Professor of Sociology with interests in economic sociology, science and technology, and crime and deviance. He employs a combination of qualitative and computational research methods in his work. His work has appeared in various peer-reviewed journals, including Social Problems, Social Forces, British Journal of Criminology, Sociology, Socio-Economic Review, and Sociological Review. His book project about shadowy online groups was published earlier this year by University of California Press. Before returning to the University of Hong Kong, where he earned his undergraduate degree, Ladegaard held faculty positions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Monash University in Melbourne. He also spent six years at Boston College, where he completed his Ph.D. Originally from Oslo, his career has spanned three continents, reflecting both his global perspective and his commitment to studying how technology transforms societies.

📅 Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025

🕑 Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

📍 Venue: CJT-9.29

🗣️ Language: English

🔗 Register here: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?ueid=103491