Professor William Webster

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Management, Work and Organisation University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Professor William Webster

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http://www.stir.ac.uk/people/williamwebster

About me

William Webster is Professor of Public Policy and Management at the Stirling Management School, University of Stirling. He is a Director of CRISP (the Centre for Research into Information Surveillance and Privacy), a research centre dedicated to the responsible use of new digital technologies and understanding the social impacts and consequences of technologically mediated surveillance. Professor Webster has research expertise in the policy processes, regulation and governance of CCTV, surveillance in everyday life, privacy and surveillance ethics, as well as public policy and service delivery relating to data protection, eGovernment, and electronic public services. He is currently co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Information Polity, co-chair of the Scottish Privacy Forum and co-chair of the EGPA (European Group of Public Administration) Permanent Study Group on eGovernment, and between 2009 and 2014 he led the Living in Surveillance Societies (LiSS) COST Action. He is also involved in a number of international research projects, including the ESRC SmartGov (Smart Governance of Sustainable Cities) project and the European Commission funded Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies (IRISS) and ASSERT projects. Professor Webster has recently completed commissioned research for Police Scotland and the Scottish Government examining the use of Body-worn Video cameras in policing contexts and on the oversight mechanisms for emerging technologies in law enforcement. Professor Webster has been a member of the strategy group of the UK Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner and has recently joined the Advisory Board of the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner. At the University of Stirling, Professor Webster has held a number of leadership roles, including Head of the Division of Management, Work and Organization for five years (2014-9), and at other times the Divisional Research Coordinator, the Research Post-graduate Coordinator and Director of the Public Service Management MBA and Masters of Business and Management Research (MRes) Programmes.

Research (7)

Research Interests: Professor Webster’s research interests are broadly in the area of contemporary public policy and management, and the policy processes and governance structures associated with governing in the information age. In particular, innovations in processes of governance, public policy and management which are facilitating the adoption and diffusion of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in government, democratic relations and the delivery of public services and citizenship. Professor Webster is an internationally recognised expert on the emergence of new surveillance technologies in public service and policy settings and a leading authority on the policies and practices surrounding the provision of closed-circuit television/video surveillance cameras and systems in public places. His research interests also include the normality of technologically mediated surveillance practices in society, the governance and regulation of privacy and data protection, surveillance ethics and the exploration of the defining characteristics of emerging surveillance societies. Other areas of research expertise include eGovernment, Body-worn Video and mechanisms to delivery democratic oversight.

Academic History: Professor Webster graduated in 1994 with a First Class Honours degree in Public Administration and was also awarded a Certificate in Public Service Practice following a year long placement as a civil service Fast Stream Administrative Trainee, at the Information Technology Office of the Inland Revenue. Between 1994 and 2000 he was a researcher based at the Centre for the Study of Telematics and Governance (CSTAG), Caledonian Business School, undertaking research into new innovative electronic public services. In 2000 he was appointed as a Lecturer in Public Management at the University of Stirling and in 2007 was promoted to Senior Lecturer. He was promoted to professorial status, as a Professor of Public Policy and Management, in 2012.

Teaching Portfolio: Professor Webster has taught across a wide range of programmes and modules within the Management School. His teaching portfolio includes public management leadership and teaching relating to his disciplinary expertise and more generic business and management subjects. In terms of programme leadership, Professor Webster has been the Programme Director for the BA (Hons) Public Administration and Management (2000-2012) and MBA (Public Services Management (2007-2014) programmes. More recently, he has been the MRes Business and Management Programme Director (2021-2023). Professor Webster has deigned and delivered a number of public management modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in a wide variety of areas, including: Introduction to Public Services Management, New Public Management, Partnership Working, Strategic Management in the Public Services and Electronic Public Services, etc. Across the business and management portfolio he has also delivered teaching on International Business, Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management. Professor Webster currently teaches research philosophy amd methods to taught and postgraduate students on the MRes Business and Management and DMan Doctor of Management programmes. Professor Webster has also delivered a number of ad hoc research workshops for early career scholars on topics like research funding, impact and engagement, building research careers and the role of reviews in academia.

Academic Leadership: Professor Webster has held a variety of leadership positions during his tenue at the University of Stirling. Between 2014 and 2019 he was Head of the Division of Management, Work and Organisation (MWO) and a member of the Management School Faculty Executive. The MWO Division is the generalist management Division within the faculty and covers subjects like business studies, human resource management, management science, business informatics and public management. During this period, he had responsibilities around workload allocation, new appointments, appraisals, promotions, Divisional and Faculty strategy, staffing and disciplinary matters, research culture and the development of taught programmes. This period included: a restructuring of organisational units within the Faculty, including the integration of the Centre for Advanced Management and Education (CAME) Studies into the division; a growth in staffing numbers to approximately 35 academics; a redesign of all teaching programmes; and excellent performance in REF 2014. Other leadership roles undertaken by Professor Webster include: Faculty Research Director (as cover in 2016), MWO Divisional Research Coordinator (2013), and MWO Research Postgraduate Coordinator, 2019-23.

Academic Research Leadership: Professor Webster is one of the founding Directors of the Centre for Research into Information, Surveillance and Privacy (CRISP). The intellectual focus of the centre is the sustainable and responsible use of digital technologies and data in contemporary organisational settings, this includes impacts and consequences relating to surveillance and privacy. CRISP is a multidisciplinary centre networked across five British Universities. Professor Webster has played a leading role in establishing CRISP and its activities, including: an annual lecture, stakeholder workshops, an online seminar series and a doctoral training school, as well as research project management and impact and engagement mechanisms. Professor Webster is also co-Chair of the Scottish Privacy Forum, co-Chair of the Permanent Study Group 1 eGovernance, of the European Group of Public Administration (EGPA) and co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Information Polity. Professor Webster has also designed and delivered research projects funded by the ESRC, EU Horizon 2020, the Scottish Government and Police Scotland.

Research Networks: Professor Webster takes part in a number of research networks including: the European Group of Public Administration (EGPA), the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM), the Surveillance Studies Network (SSN), and the Society of Public Information Networks (SPIN). Professor Webster was grant holder and Chair of the Living in Surveillance Societies (LiSS) COST Action IS0807 (2009-13). LiSS is the first international multi-disciplinary social science research programme exploring the everyday implications of living in societies where technologically mediated surveillance practices are pervasive. The programme involved over 150 researchers from 26 different countries.

Research Engagement and Impact: Professor Webster has built close networks with policy-makers and practitioners to facilitate research engagement and impact, both for himself and other researchers. This culminated in a top-rated REF impact case study in 2020. As co-Chair of the Scottish Privacy Forum, Professor Webster, designs and facilitates interaction between academics and data protection experts. Since 2014, he has also been a member of the Strategy Group of the UK’s Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner and in 2024 was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner. In 2023 he was a member of the Research Advisory Group of a Scottish Government research project assessing the use of surveillance cameras in Scotland. Professor Webster is regularly commissioned to undertake research activities for public agencies, including recently: the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the Home Office.

Projects

Evidence Review into Public Experience and Confidence of Body Worn Video in a Policing Context
PI: Professor William Webster
Funded by: Scottish Institute for Policing Research
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Emerging Technologies in Policing
PI: Dr Niall Hamilton-Smith
Funded by: Scottish Institute for Policing Research
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Coordinated higher institutions (universities) responses to digitalization (ESCALATE)
PI: Professor Ronald McQuaid
Funded by: European Commission (Horizon 2020)
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Smart Governance of Sustainable Cities (SmartGov)
PI: Professor William Webster
Funded by: Economic and Social Research Council
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IRISS - Increasing resilience in surveillance societies
PI: Professor William Webster
Funded by: European Commission (Horizon 2020)
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Assessing security research: tools and methodologies to measure societal impact a support action
PI: Professor William Webster
Funded by: European Commission (Horizon 2020)
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Living in Surveillance Societies (LiSS)
PI: Professor William Webster
Funded by: European Commission (Horizon 2020)
–

Outputs (125)

Outputs

Showing 100 of 125 — See all 125 outputs

Conference Paper (unpublished)

Embracing Emerging Technologies in Policing: Key Considerations

Connon I, Egan M, Hamilton-Smith N, Mackay N, Miranda D & Webster CW (2024) Embracing Emerging Technologies in Policing: Key Considerations. AI and Surveillance in Policing and Law and Order: Opportunities, Threats, Perspectives and Cases, Gothenburg, Sweden, 16.10.2024-18.10.2024.

Conference Paper (unpublished)

The Future Governance of Surveillance Cameras in the UK: Findings from an Independent Review of Changes to the Functions of the Office of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner [BSCC] Arising from the Data Protection and Digital Information [DPDI] Bill

Webster CW & Fussey P (2024) The Future Governance of Surveillance Cameras in the UK: Findings from an Independent Review of Changes to the Functions of the Office of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner [BSCC] Arising from the Data Protection and Digital Information [DPDI] Bill. Surveillance in an Age of Crisis, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 28.05.2024-31.05.2024. https://surveillance-studies.net/conference/

Policy Document

Independent report on changes to the functions of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner arising from the Data protection and Digital Innovation Bill

Webster W & Fussey P (2023) Independent report on changes to the functions of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner arising from the Data protection and Digital Innovation Bill. Office of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner/Home Office. Home Office, London. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/653f7128e6c968000daa9cae/Changes_to_the_functions_of_the_BSCC.pdf

Research Report

Review of emerging technologies in policing: findings and recommendations

Connon I, Egan M, Hamilton-Smith N, MacKay N, Miranda D & Webster W (2023) Review of emerging technologies in policing: findings and recommendations. Scottish Institute for Policing Research. Edinburgh. https://www.gov.scot/publications/review-emerging-technologies-policing-findings-recommendations/

Conference Paper (published)

Unintended Consequences of E-Learning: Reflections on the Digital Transformation of Learning in Higher Education

Robinson E, McQuaid R, Webb A & Webster CWR (2021) Unintended Consequences of E-Learning: Reflections on the Digital Transformation of Learning in Higher Education. In: Larsen C, Kipper J, Schmid A & Panzaru C (eds.) Transformations of Local and Regional Labour Markets across Europe in Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Times: Challenges for Regional and Local Observatories. 16th Annual Meeting of the European Network on Regional Labour Market Monitoring (EN RLMM), Timisoara, Romania, 22.09.2021-24.09.2021. Baden-Baden, Germany: Rainer Hampp Verlag, pp. 379-398. https://www.nomos-shop.de/nomos/titel/transformations-of-regional-and-local-labour-markets-across-europe-in-pandemic-and-post-pandemic-times-id-100850/

Conference Paper (published)

An investigation of citizen's e-participation within Oman's police department Facebook page

Dalwai T, James M, Webster W, Alshukaili AM & Soosaimanickam A (2020) An investigation of citizen's e-participation within Oman's police department Facebook page. In: Santos H, Viale Pereira G, Budde M, Lopes SF & Nikolic P (eds.) Science and Technologies for Smart Cities. SmartCity 360 2019. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, 323. International Summit Smart City 360, Braga, Portugal, 04.12.2019-06.12.2019. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp. 236-248. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51005-3_21

Editorial

Editorial

Meijer A & Webster W (2020) Editorial. Information Polity, 25 (1), pp. 1-2. https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-200002

Editorial

Editorial

Meijer A & Webster W (2020) Editorial. Information Polity, 25 (2), p. 135. https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-200004

Book Chapter

Stand up please, the real Sustainable Smart City

Webster CWR & Leleux C (2020) Stand up please, the real Sustainable Smart City. In: Willis KS & Aurigi A (eds.) The Routledge Companion to Smart Cities. Routledge International Handbooks. London: Routledge, pp. 225-238. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315178387-16

Book Chapter

The Rise of Body-worn Video Cameras: A New Surveillance Revolution?

Leleux C & Webster CWR (2020) The Rise of Body-worn Video Cameras: A New Surveillance Revolution?. In: Newell BC (ed.) Police on Camera: Surveillance, Privacy, and Accountability. Routledge Series on Surveillance. London: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Police-on-Camera-Surveillance-Privacy-and-Accountability/Newell/p/book/9781138342439

Editorial

Editorial

Meijer A & Webster W (2019) Editorial. Information Polity, 24 (1), p. 1. https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-190001

Editorial

Editorial

Meijer A, Webster W & Lips M (2018) Editorial. Information Polity, 23 (1), pp. 1-2. https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-189001

Editorial

Editorial

Meijer A & Webster W (2018) Editorial. Information Polity, 23 (2), p. 113. https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-180005

Editorial

Editorial

Meijer A & Webster W (2018) Editorial. Information Polity, 23 (3), p. 247. https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-180008

Editorial

Editorial

Meijer A & Webster W (2018) Editorial. Information Polity, 23 (4), pp. 359-360. https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-180011

Book Chapter

Resilience, surveillance and big data in crisis management: case studies from Europe, the United Kingdom and New Zealand

Leleux C & Webster CWR (2018) Resilience, surveillance and big data in crisis management: case studies from Europe, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. In: Boersma K & Fonio C (eds.) Big Data, Surveillance and Crisis Management. Routledge Studies in Surveillance, 1. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 121-142. https://www.routledge.com/Big-Data-Surveillance-and-Crisis-Management/Boersma-Fonio/p/book/9781138195431

Presentation / Talk

Body-worn Cameras and Public Services in Scotland

Webster CWR & Leleux C (2016) Body-worn Cameras and Public Services in Scotland. University of Glasgow, Urban Big Data Centre, Seminar Series, University of Glasgow, 07.04.2016-07.04.2016.

Presentation / Talk

The Rise of Body-Worn Video Cameras: A New Surveillance Revolution?

Webster CWR & Leleux C (2016) The Rise of Body-Worn Video Cameras: A New Surveillance Revolution?. The 7th Biennial Surveillance and Society Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 20.04.2016-23.04.2016. http://www.ssn2016.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/Booklet_Abstracts_2016.pdf

Research Report

IRISS (Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies) FP7 European Research Project, Deliverable 4.2: Doing privacy in everyday encounters with surveillance.

Neumann A, Berglez R, Kreissl R, Zurawski N, Fischer D, Fonio C, Leleux C, Webster CWR, Peissl W, Lastic E, Kovanic M & Spiller K (2014) IRISS (Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies) FP7 European Research Project, Deliverable 4.2: Doing privacy in everyday encounters with surveillance.. European Commission. European Commission, FP7, IRISS: Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies Deliverable, 4.2. IRISS. http://www.irissproject.eu/

Research Report

IRISS (Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies) FP7 European Research Project, Deliverable 3.2: Surveillance Impact Report

Ball K, Spiller K, Dahm S, Friedewald M, Galetta A, Goos K, Jones R, Lastic E, Norris C, Raab CD, Bergersen S, Bellanova R, Leleux C, Webster CWR & Burgess JP (2014) IRISS (Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies) FP7 European Research Project, Deliverable 3.2: Surveillance Impact Report. European Commission. European Commission, FP7, IRISS: Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies Deliverable, 3.2. IRISS. http://irissproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/D3.2-Surveillance-Impact-report1.pdf1.pdf

Conference Paper (unpublished)

The Emergence of SMART CCTV in Scotland

Webster CWR & Leleux C (2014) The Emergence of SMART CCTV in Scotland. SSN 2014: Surveillance Ambiguities & Assymetries - The 6th international Surveillance & Society conference, Barcelona, Spain, 24.04.2014-25.04.2014. http://www.ssn2014.net/?page_id=1184

Book Chapter

Surveillance as X-ray

Webster CWR (2013) Surveillance as X-ray. In: Meijer A, Bannister F & Thaens M (eds.) ICT, Public Administration and Democracy in the Coming Decade. Innovation and the Public Sector, 20. Amsterdam: IOS Press, pp. 42-56. http://ebooks.iospress.nl/publication/33522

Conference Paper (unpublished)

SMART CCTV in Scotland

Webster CWR & Leleux C (2013) SMART CCTV in Scotland. European Group of Public Administration Annual Conference, Edinburgh, 11.09.2013-13.09.2013. https://www.conftool.pro/egpa2013/index.php?page=browseSessions&form_session=25

Research Report

Deliverable D2.1: The Social Perspective

Webster CWR, Leleux C, Sterbik-Lamina J, Cas J, Peissl W, Fischer D, Bonss W, De Hert P, Galdon Clavell G, Galetta A, Fonio C, Jones R, Szekely I & Vissy B (2013) Deliverable D2.1: The Social Perspective. IRISS Work Package 2, 2.1. IRISS - Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies. http://irissproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Social-perspectives-of-surveillance-and-democracy-report-D2.1-IRISS.pdf

Research Report

Deliverable D2.2: The Political Perspective

Raab CD, Jones R, Fischer D, Bonss W, Lastic E, Szekely I, Vissy B, Galdon Clavell G, Webster CWR, Leleux C, De Hert P & Galetta A (2013) Deliverable D2.2: The Political Perspective. IRISS Work Package 2, 2.2. IRISS - Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies. http://irissproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Political-perspectives-of-surveillance-and-democracy-report-D2.2-IRISS.pdf

Preprint / Working Paper

Deliverable D2.4: The Theoretical Framework

Webster CWR, Leleux C, Wright D, Raab CD, Jones R, De Hert P & Galetta A (2013) Deliverable D2.4: The Theoretical Framework. IRISS Work Package 2, 2.4.

Book Chapter

Public administration as surveillance

Webster CWR (2012) Public administration as surveillance. In: Ball K, Haggerty K & Lyon D (eds.) The Handbook of Surveilance Studies. Routledge International Handbooks. Abingdon, UK: Routledge UK, pp. 313-320. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415588836/

Edited Book

Video Surveillance: Practices and Policies in Europe

Webster CWR, Topfer E, Klauser FR & Raab CD (eds.) (2012) Video Surveillance: Practices and Policies in Europe. Innovation and the Public Sector, 18. Amsterdam, Netherlands: IOS Press. http://www.iospress.nl/book/video-surveillance/

Edited Book

Living in Surveillance Societies: The Ghosts of Surveillance (redacted by Leleux, Charles)

Webster CWR, Balahur D, Zurawski N, Boersma K, Sagvari B, Backman C & Leleux C (eds.) (2012) Living in Surveillance Societies: The Ghosts of Surveillance (redacted by Leleux, Charles). Iasi, Romania: Editura Universitatii, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, IASI. http://www.cost.eu/media/publications/12-23-Living-in-Surveillance-Societies-The-Ghosts-of-Surveillance

Book Chapter

The Normality of Living in Surveillance Societies

Murakami Wood D & Webster CWR (2011) The Normality of Living in Surveillance Societies. In: van der Hof S & Groothuis M (eds.) Innovating Government: Normative, Policy and Technological Dimensions of Modern Government. Information Technology and Law Series, 20. The Hague, The Netherlands: T.M.C. Asser Press, pp. 151-164. http://www.asser.nl/publications.aspx?site_id=28&level1=14485&id=4402

Presentation / Talk

Policy Processes and the Evidence-base: CCTV

Webster CWR (2011) Policy Processes and the Evidence-base: CCTV. Onati International Institute for the Sociology of Law Workshops 2011: "Security Public Policy in an Age of Insecurity", Bilbao, Spain, 07.04.2011-08.04.2011.

Presentation / Talk

European Perspectives on Surveillance and Everyday Life: Expert panel presentation in the 'Surveillance and Law-enforcement in the Stockholm Programme' session

Webster CWR (2011) European Perspectives on Surveillance and Everyday Life: Expert panel presentation in the 'Surveillance and Law-enforcement in the Stockholm Programme' session. 4th International Conference: Computer, Privacy & Data Protection: "European Data Protection: In Good Health?", Brussels, Belgium, 25.01.2011-27.01.2011.

Presentation / Talk

Living in Surveillance Societies

Webster CWR (2010) Living in Surveillance Societies. Escola De Outono em Administracao Publica (National Doctoral Training School) 2010, Vila Real, Portugal, 04.10.2010-08.10.2010.

Presentation / Talk

Developments in the study of CCTV

Webster CWR (2010) Developments in the study of CCTV. Living in Surveillance Societies (LiSS) Working Group 4 Meeting 2010, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 29.09.2010-30.09.2010.

Presentation / Talk

Revisiting the Camera Revolution in the UK: A Slide Show

Webster CWR (2010) Revisiting the Camera Revolution in the UK: A Slide Show. 'Living in (Un)regulated Surveillance Society?' colloquium, Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 29 September 2010, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 29.09.2010-29.09.2010.

Conference Paper (unpublished)

The Emergent ICT Culture of Parliamentarians: The Case of the Scottish Parliament

Smith C & Webster CWR (2008) The Emergent ICT Culture of Parliamentarians: The Case of the Scottish Parliament. European Group of Public Administration Annual Conference Study Group on eGovernment: Information and Communications Technologies in Public Administration, Madrid, Spain, 19-22 September 2007, Madrid, Spain, 19.09.2007-22.09.2007. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/view/people/Smith=3AColin_F=3A=3A.default.html

Book Chapter

Myths, Rhetoric and Policy in the Information Age: The Case of Closed Circuit Television

Webster CWR (2007) Myths, Rhetoric and Policy in the Information Age: The Case of Closed Circuit Television. In: Griffin D, Trevorrow P & Halpin E (eds.) Developments in E-Government: A Critical Analysis. First ed. Innovation and the Public Sector, 13. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: IOS Press, pp. 16-30. http://ebooks.iospress.com/volume/developments-in-e-government

Conference Paper (unpublished)

CCTV Technology and Policy: The Evolution of the Revolution

Webster CWR (2007) CCTV Technology and Policy: The Evolution of the Revolution. "Surveillance in Scotland: Current Practices and Future Prospects" workshop organised by the Public Policy Network, University of Edinburgh, and the Information Commissioner’s Office, Edinburgh, UK, 05.10.2007-05.10.2007.

See all 125 outputs

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