Incentive mechanisms for government officials' implementing open government data in China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Zhang ◽  
Ying Bi ◽  
Fei Kang ◽  
Zhong Wang

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors influencing the behaviors of government officials during the implementation of open government data (OGD). By identifying and understanding the key factors that determine government officials' adoption of OGD in China, this study can create a valuable reference for other countries and their decision-making regarding government implementation of OGD.Design/methodology/approachThis research collected data by in-depth interviews with government officials in Chinese OGD departments. Through these interviews, the authors consulted 15 administrators from departments that are responsible for the information tasks in Beijing and other cities on their opinions about OGD. The authors also interviewed senior executives from information technology (IT) companies, as well as open data policy scholars from big data alliance and research institutions.FindingsThis paper provides insights about how to promote government officials in OGD implementation, including (1) strengthen social supervision for the environment, through developing and publishing OGD technology roadmaps, then attracting the public to actively participate in the implementing of OGD; (2) establish an OGD assessment mechanism for government officials, with bonus motivations, position promotion incentives, as well as spiritual incentives via regional or sector rankings; (3) alleviate the risks of officials' OGD decisions in actual practice, using the institution construction of OGD to guide its direction and strengthen security protection.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need to study how government officials' behavior can be motivated on OGD implementation.

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 205395171769075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Schrock ◽  
Gwen Shaffer

Government officials claim open data can improve internal and external communication and collaboration. These promises hinge on “data intermediaries”: extra-institutional actors that obtain, use, and translate data for the public. However, we know little about why these individuals might regard open data as a site of civic participation. In response, we draw on Ilana Gershon to conceptualize culturally situated and socially constructed perspectives on data, or “data ideologies.” This study employs mixed methodologies to examine why members of the public hold particular data ideologies and how they vary. In late 2015 the authors engaged the public through a commission in a diverse city of approximately 500,000. Qualitative data was collected from three public focus groups with residents. Simultaneously, we obtained quantitative data from surveys. Participants’ data ideologies varied based on how they perceived data to be useful for collaboration, tasks, and translations. Bucking the “geek” stereotype, only a minority of those surveyed (20%) were professional software developers or engineers. Although only a nascent movement, we argue open data intermediaries have important roles to play in a new political landscape.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lněnička ◽  
Renata Machova ◽  
Jolana Volejníková ◽  
Veronika Linhartová ◽  
Radka Knezackova ◽  
...  

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to draw on evidence from computer-mediated transparency and examine the argument that open government data and national data infrastructures represented by open data portals can help in enhancing transparency by providing various relevant features and capabilities for stakeholders' interactions.Design/methodology/approachThe developed methodology consisted of a two-step strategy to investigate research questions. First, a web content analysis was conducted to identify the most common features and capabilities provided by existing national open data portals. The second step involved performing the Delphi process by surveying domain experts to measure the diversity of their opinions on this topic.FindingsIdentified features and capabilities were classified into categories and ranked according to their importance. By formalizing these feature-related transparency mechanisms through which stakeholders work with data sets we provided recommendations on how to incorporate them into designing and developing open data portals.Social implicationsThe creation of appropriate open data portals aims to fulfil the principles of open government and enables stakeholders to effectively engage in the policy and decision-making processes.Originality/valueBy analyzing existing national open data portals and validating the feature-related transparency mechanisms, this paper fills this gap in existing literature on designing and developing open data portals for transparency efforts.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 434-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Saxena

Purpose With the ongoing drives towards Open Government Data (OGD) initiatives across the globe, governments have been keen on pursuing their OGD policies to ensure transparency, collaboration and efficiency in administration. As a developing country, India has recently adopted the OGD policy (www.data.gov.in); however, the percolation of this policy in the States has remained slow. This paper aims to underpin the “asymmetry” in OGD framework as far as the Indian States are concerned. Besides, the study also assesses the contribution of “Open Citizens” in furthering the OGD initiatives of the country. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory qualitative following a case study approach informs the present study using documentary analysis where evidentiary support from five Indian States (Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Sikkim and Gujarat) is being drawn to assess the nature and scope of the OGD framework. Further, conceptualization for “Open Citizen” framework is provided to emphasize upon the need to have aware, informed and pro-active citizens to spearhead the OGD initiatives in the country. Findings While the National OGD portal has a substantial number of data sets across different sectors, the States are lagging behind in the adoption and implementation of OGD policies, and while Telangana and Sikkim have been the frontrunners in adoption of OGD policies in a rudimentary manner, others are yet to catch up with them. Further, there is “asymmetry” in terms of the individual contribution of the government bodies to the open data sets where some government bodies are more reluctant to share their datasets than the others. Practical implications It is the conclusion of the study that governments need to institutionalize the OGD framework in the country, and all the States should appreciate the requirement of adopting a robust OGD policy for furthering transparency, collaboration and efficiency in administration. Social implications As an “Open Citizen”, it behooves upon the citizens to be pro-active and contribute towards the open data sets which would go a long way in deriving social and economic value out of these data sets. Originality/value While there are many studies on OGD in the West, studies focused upon the developing countries are starkly lacking. This study plugs this gap by attempting a comparative analysis of the OGD frameworks across Indian States. Besides, the study has provided a conceptualization of “Open Citizen” (OGD) which may be tapped for further research in developing and developed countries to ascertain the linkage between OGD and OC.


Data ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Ilka Kawashita ◽  
Ana Alice Baptista ◽  
Delfina Soares

This research investigates whether, why, and how open government data (OGD) is used and reused by Brazilian state and district public administrations. A new online questionnaire was developed and collected data from 26 of the 27 federation units between June and July 2021. The resulting dataset was cleaned and anonymized. It contains an insight on 158 parameters for 26 federation units explored. This article describes the questionnaire metadata and the methods applied to collect and treat data. The data file was divided into four sections: respondent profile (identify the respondent and his workplace), OGD use/consumption, what OGD is used for by public administrations, and why OGD is used by public administrations (benefits, barriers, drivers, and barriers to OGD use/reuse). Results provide the state of the play of OGD use/reuse in the federation units administrations. Therefore, they could be used to inform open data policy and decision-making processes. Furthermore, they could be the starting point for discussing how OGD could better support the digital transformation in the public sector.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 451-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt Simon Hitz-Gamper ◽  
Oliver Neumann ◽  
Matthias Stürmer

Purpose Linked data is a technical standard to structure complex information and relate independent sets of data. Recently, governments have started to use this technology for bridging separated data “(silos)” by launching linked open government data (LOGD) portals. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of LOGD as a smart technology and strategy to create public value. This is achieved by enhancing the usability and visibility of open data provided by public organizations. Design/methodology/approach In this study, three different LOGD governance modes are deduced: public agencies could release linked data via a dedicated triple store, via a shared triple store or via an open knowledge base. Each of these modes has different effects on usability and visibility of open data. Selected case studies illustrate the actual use of these three governance modes. Findings According to this study, LOGD governance modes present a trade-off between retaining control over governmental data and potentially gaining public value by the increased use of open data by citizens. Originality/value This study provides recommendations for public sector organizations for the development of their data publishing strategy to balance control, usability and visibility considering also the growing popularity of open knowledge bases such as Wikidata.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 210-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Alexander Parung ◽  
Achmad Nizar Hidayanto ◽  
Puspa Indahati Sandhyaduhita ◽  
Karina Lia Meirita Ulo ◽  
Kongkiti Phusavat

Purpose This study aims to propose strategies to address the identified major barriers for giving the public open access to government data. The study adopts fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (AHP-TOPSIS) to weigh the barriers and strategies, and it subsequently involves experts to identify and weigh the barriers and strategies. A case of Indonesia is used to contextualize the study. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected using fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS-based questionnaires given to several government representatives who had been working with data and information. The respondents were given sets of pairwise comparisons of which they were asked to compare the level of importance using one to nine fuzzy numbers between barriers and strategies. The data were then calculated using the fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS formula to obtain each weight of the barriers and strategies. The weight is used to prioritize the barrier and strategies. Findings In total, five barrier categories in the order of importance, namely, legal and privacy; government culture; social; technical; and economic, were identified from 27 barriers. In total, ten strategies of open government data (OGD) adoption were identified and ranked in the order of importance, and they can be grouped into five priorities. Priority 1 is to involve stakeholders in OGD planning and establish an OGD competence center. Priority 2 is to develop a legal compliance framework. Priority 3 is to adopt OGD gradually. Priority 4 is to create a collaboration feature on the portal for stakeholder communication and raise public awareness of OGD. Priority 5, finally, is to conduct training for government officials, develop standard operating practice for OGD management, use standard data formats and provide metadata. Research limitations/implications This study provides a perspective from the government’s view. One suggestion for future research is to conduct a study from the public’s perspective to formulate strategies based on the identified citizens’ barriers in using OGD. In addition, cross-country (of different characteristics) studies were required to generalize the findings. Practical implications The first strategy of the first priority implies that government institutions should be able to develop a preliminary plan to involve relevant stakeholders in OGD planning, which includes identifying relevant stakeholders and continuously engaging them to participate in the planning phase of OGD. The second strategy in the first priority entails that government institutions should realize an OGD competence center by creating a virtual team whose members are from various backgrounds and who are very knowledgeable about OGD and how to manage OGD in government institutions. Originality/value This research provides key strategies to address the main barriers to giving the public open access to government data.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 152-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Shepherd ◽  
Jenny Bunn ◽  
Andrew Flinn ◽  
Elizabeth Lomas ◽  
Anna Sexton ◽  
...  

Purpose Open government data and access to public sector information is commonplace, yet little attention has focussed on the essential roles and responsibilities in practice of the information and records management professionals, who enable public authorities to deliver open data to citizens. This paper aims to consider the perspectives of open government and information practitioners in England on the procedural and policy implications of open data across local public authorities. Design/methodology/approach Using four case studies from different parts of the public sector in England (local government, higher education, National Health Service and hospital trust), the research involved master’s level students in the data collection and analysis, alongside academics, thus enhancing the learning experience of students. Findings There was little consistency in the location of responsibility for open government data policy, the range of job roles involved or the organisational structures, policy and guidance in place to deliver this function. While this may reflect the organisational differences and professional concerns, it makes it difficult to share best practice. Central government policy encourages public bodies to make their data available for re-use. However, local practice is very variable and perhaps understandably responds more to local organisational strategic and resource priorities. The research found a lack of common metadata standards for open data, different choices about which data to open, problems of data redundancy, inconsistency and data integrity and a wide variety of views on the corporate and public benefits of open data. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to England and to non-national public bodies and only draws data from a small number of case studies. Originality/value The research contributes to the debate about emerging issues around the complexities of open government data and its public benefits, contributing to the discussions around technology-enabled approaches to citizen engagement and governance. It offers new insights into the interaction between open data and public policy objectives, drawing on the experience of local public sectors in England.


foresight ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuti Saxena

Purpose The purpose of this study is to underscore the significance, drivers and barriers towards re-use of open data sets in the context of Oman’s open government data (OGD) initiative. Design/methodology/approach Following a qualitative framework, the paper invoked a documentary analysis approach to probe the OGD initiative of Oman. Specifically, the national OGD portal of Oman (https://data.gov.om/) is being investigated in the paper. Furthermore, the paper invokes a theoretical model of “citizen engagement” (“Data over the wall”, “Code exchange”, “Civic issue tracker” and “Participatory open data model”) proposed by Sieber and Johnson (2015) to assess the extent to which open data sets may be re-used. Findings As per the theoretical model forwarded by Sieber and Johnson (2015), the OGD initiative of Oman is a cusp between “Data over the wall”, “Code exchange” and “Participatory” models. Oman’s OGD initiative facilitates the re-use of the open data sets. However, there are challenges in re-using the open data sets as well. The paper underlines the prospects of better re-use of data sets by institutionalizing the OGD initiative across all administrative levels of the country. Practical implications This study holds relevance for practitioners and policy-makers in Oman to ensure the re-use of data sets is facilitated for generating public value. Originality/value Hitherto, research has underlined the significance of launching OGD initiatives in the West but studies in developing countries are few. The present study seeks to plug this research gap by underlining the significance of OGD re-usage in Oman’s context.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anneke Zuiderwijk ◽  
Mark de Reuver

Purpose Existing overviews of barriers for openly sharing and using government data are often conceptual or based on a limited number of cases. Furthermore, it is unclear what categories of barriers are most obstructive for attaining open data objectives. This paper aims to categorize and prioritize barriers for openly sharing and using government data based on many existing Open Government Data Initiatives (OGDIs). Design/methodology/approach This study analyzes 171 survey responses concerning existing OGDIs worldwide. Findings The authors found that the most critical OGDI barrier categories concern (in order of most to least critical): functionality and support; inclusiveness; economy, policy and process; data interpretation; data quality and resources; legislation and access; and sustainability. Policymakers should prioritize solving functionality and support barriers and inclusiveness barriers because the authors found that these are the most obstructive in attaining OGDI objectives. Practical implications The prioritization of open data barriers calls for three main actions by practitioners to reduce the barrier impact: open data portal developers should develop advanced tools to support data search, analysis, visualization, interpretation and interaction; open data experts and teachers should train potential users, and especially those currently excluded from OGDIs because of a lack of digital skills; and government agencies that provide open data should put user-centered design and the user experience central to better support open data users. Originality/value This study contributes to the open data literature by proposing a new, empirically based barrier categorization and prioritization based a large number of existing OGDIs.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Lněnička ◽  
Anastasija Nikiforova ◽  
Stuti Saxena ◽  
Purnima Singh

PurposeOpen government data (OGD) are considered as a technology capable of promoting transparency openness, and accountability, which in turn has a positive impact on innovation activities and creates responsive government, collaboration, cooperation, co-creation and participation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the adoption of OGD and open data portals among students, in an attempt to discover how governments can improve their actions in this respect.Design/methodology/approachThis study develops a behavioural intention-based analysis using constructs from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, which is supplemented with additional constructs that meet the purpose of the study. In total, ten constructs divided into 33 items constituted the input for our study. Input data for the developed model have been collected through a structured questionnaire distributed between bachelor's and master's level students in three countries – the Czech Republic, India and Latvia. A structural equation modelling technique was used to analyse the relationships between variables of the model and test the nine hypothesis defined.FindingsSix constructs have been identified to facilitate significant relationships with behavioural intention. The analysis of the results of the three countries allows us to draw more objective conclusions in respect to the aim of the study and to reveal country-specific aspects that need to be addressed in the future.Originality/valueThis study adds to the existing literature few theoretical and practical aspects. It highlights the role of open data portals as a central point of OGD infrastructures. It enables governments to understand the relationships among the related constructs, improving their actions and modifying their data infrastructures accordingly.


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