Ben Green | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Ben Green
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Faculty by courtesy

Ben Green

Assistant Professor of Information; Assistant Professor of Public Policy (by courtesy)
[email protected]

Ben Green is an assistant professor in information at the School of Information and an assistant professor of public policy (by courtesy). He holds a PhD in applied mathematics, with a secondary field in science, technology, and society, from Harvard University. Ben studies the social and political impacts of government algorithms, with a focus on algorithmic fairness, smart cities, and the criminal justice system. His book, The Smart Enough City: Putting Technology in Its Place to Reclaim Our Urban Future, was published in 2019 by MIT Press. Ben is also an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard.

Ben’s research draws on his experience working with data and technology in city government. He spent a year working for the Citywide Analytics Team in the City of Boston, where he combined data and performance analysis to improve public services and civic engagement. Ben previously worked at the University of Chicago Data Science for Social Good Summer Fellowship, where he developed a machine learning system to enhance the City of Memphis’ urban revitalization efforts. He also spent a year at the New Haven Department of Transportation, Traffic, and Parking, where he managed the deployment of new parking meter payment technology.

Read more on Green's personal site.

Educational background

PhD in applied mathematics, Harvard University (secondary field: science, technology, and society)

Recent publications

  • Ben Green and Yiling Chen. “Algorithmic Risk Assessments Can Alter Human Decision-Making Processes in High-Stakes Government Contexts,” Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 5, CSCW2. 2021. https://www.benzevgreen.com/21-cscw/
  • Ben Green and Salomé Viljoen. “Algorithmic Realism: Expanding the Boundaries of Algorithmic Thought,” Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAT*). 2020. https://www.benzevgreen.com/20-fat-realism
  • Ben Green. The Smart Enough City: Putting Technology in Its Place to Reclaim Our Urban Future. MIT Press. 2019. https://smartenoughcity.mitpress.mit.edu
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