Governments have vast data resources related to a wide-variety of policies and programs. Integrating and sharing data across agencies and departments can add value to these data resources and bring about significant changes in public services as well as better government decisions. However, in addition to the lack of standards and an adequate information architecture, the main obstacles to a centralized government data-sharing strategy are security and privacy concerns. Blockchain - a decentralized peer-to-peer distributed ledger technology - provides a new way to develop sharing mechanisms. In addition, blockchain-based systems are difficult to tamper with and are highly traceable. Based on the current problems of a big data center in the city of Ningbo, China, this paper identifies limitations of this approach and explores the potential of some data sharing mechanism based on blockchain technology. Our analysis describes some potential advantages and the feasibility of using distributed data sharing and automated management mechanisms based on blockchain smart contracts. We also explore implementation challenges and provide some practical recommendations.

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This paper is an autoethnographic account of the governance of a large decision-making community responsible for the data requirements for the Irish Agri-food industry. The primary author was the leader in a major stakeholder organisation within this decisionmaking programme. The programme is currently used to underpin the regulatory compliance, quality, and sustainability of Irish food. The programme is recognised worldwide as innovative and the data is trusted at national and international levels by all members of the community. The decision-making process for this programme was complex with many stakeholders and diverse interests. The paper reflects upon and analyses the key concepts emerging from this personal study and triangulates the reflections and analysis to the key network orchestration activities outlined by Dhanaraj and Parkhe (2006), namely, knowledge mobility, appropriability and network stability. Key points emerge from these reflections, with some new insights arising from the autoethnographic account which imply the need for future research.

As with other emergent technologies, XML has the potential to help government agencies significantly improve the management and maintenance of their Web sites and other Web applications. However, the benefits and barriers of using XML for Web site content management cannot be adequately understood without a clear and systematic knowledge about the technology and the environment in which it will be embedded. Using structuration theory and Giddens' concept of change episode, this paper argues that comprehensive prototyping can potentially produce the necessary knowledge and shared understandings among participants about both technology and organizational context. Throughout their active engagement in training, facilitated workshops, team assignments, and prototyping activities, the participants developed similar conceptions about the capabilities and limitations of XML for Web site management. In terms of Giddens, their facilities, norms, and interpretive schemes became more similar because of the intensive interaction among team members (technical and program staff) and between teams (from multiple and diverse government agencies). Overall, participants reached a greater consensus about the importance of 50% of the potential benefits and 75% of the perceived barriers. The differences about benefits and barriers between technical and program staff (that were statistically significant) went from two benefits and six barriers to zero benefits and two barriers, suggesting more similar understandings.