1. The Politics of Open Government Data: Understanding Organizational Responses to Pressure for More Transparency
- Author
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Ruijer, Erna, Détienne, Francoise, Baker, Michael, Groff, Jonathan, Meijer, Albert J., Public management en publieke innovaties, UU LEG Research USG Public Matters, Public management en publieke innovaties, UU LEG Research USG Public Matters, Sociologie Psychologie Ergonomique (SPE), Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation (I3, une unité mixte de recherche CNRS (UMR 9217)), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Télécom ParisTech-MINES ParisTech - École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-Télécom ParisTech-MINES ParisTech - École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Département Sciences Economiques et Sociales (SES), Télécom ParisTech, Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris), Laboratoire d'Etude de l'Apprentissage et du Développement [Dijon] (LEAD), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Bourgogne (UB), École polytechnique (X)-Télécom ParisTech-MINES ParisTech - École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
Sociology and Political Science ,Public Administration ,[SHS.INFO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Library and information sciences ,[SHS.PSY]Humanities and Social Sciences/Psychology ,Public administration ,Politics ,Public management ,Political science ,0502 economics and business ,050602 political science & public administration ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,Open government ,transparency ,Marketing ,[SHS.SOCIO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Sociology ,05 social sciences ,Perspective (graphical) ,Data understanding ,16. Peace & justice ,Transparency (behavior) ,0506 political science ,Open government data ,[SHS.GESTION]Humanities and Social Sciences/Business administration ,organizational strategic responses ,politics ,050203 business & management - Abstract
This article contributes to the growing body of literature within public management on open government data by taking a political perspective. We argue that open government data are a strategic resource of organizations and therefore organizations are not likely to share it. We develop an analytical framework for studying the politics of open government data, based on theories of strategic responses to institutional processes, government transparency, and open government data. The framework shows that there can be different organizational strategic responses to open data—varying from conformity to active resistance—and that different institutional antecedents influence these responses. The value of the framework is explored in two cases: a province in the Netherlands and a municipality in France. The cases provide insights into why governments might release datasets in certain policy domains but not in others thereby producing “strategically opaque transparency.” The article concludes that the politics of open government data framework helps us understand open data practices in relation to broader institutional pressures that influence government transparency.
- Published
- 2020
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