The impact of open government data on accountability and transparency

Abstract

Purpose Accountability, citizen participation and transparency are the three pillars on which open government data (OGD) is based. As such, OGD implies that the government shall provide data freely via the internet so that the same may be re-used for diverse purposes. It is hoped that by re-using government data, public value shall be co-created and government services might be improved upon with the involvement of different stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to underline the impact of OGD on accountability and transparency in the context of Pakistan where OGD initiative is taking roots for quite some time now. In the present study, the authors seek to investigate the challenges being faced by the professionals in the private sector and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) in Pakistan. Besides, the authors also seek inputs from the respondents in the manner in which OGD initiative of Pakistan has impact on ensuring accountability and transparency. Design/methodology/approach For conducting the review of the national OGD portal of Pakistan, the authors invoke documentary analysis wherein the authors investigate the features of the national OGD portal of Pakistan. Furthermore, the authors conducted structured interviews with 49 senior management representatives from private sector and NGOs in order to gauge the challenges encountered by them in tapping OGD from diverse online public sources. Findings Respondents aver that robust statistical analysis is not feasible via the data sets being shared by the online sources. More initiatives are required on the part of the government bodies to release the data sets which have remained confined in silos. Government should institutionalize an OGD policy and promote the re-use of OGD by the professionals from diverse backgrounds. At present, only educational data are being shared by the OGD portal of Pakistan and it is important that more data sets are being released in the public domain. Furthermore, the respondents perceive that in a bid to be more accountable and transparent, the government bodies should release data sets via the online channels which are user-friendly. Research limitations/implications The present study conducted a qualitative research where the number of respondents was relatively less. Further research is required by adopting quantitative approach in order to accommodate more respondents and lend reliability to the study. Nevertheless, the study holds implications for academicians and practitioners in the sense that while it is needed that further research be conducted on the OGD initiative of Pakistan, it is imperative that policy makers get involved in institutionalizing the OGD initiative of Pakistan at national and local levels. Social implications Professionals might be better involved in creating and co-creating products and services by tapping OGD. Originality/value Given that OGD initiative in Pakistan is in a nascent stage and research is wanting in exploring the nature and scope of Pakistan’s OGD, the present study seeks to contribute toward the existing OGD literature.

Enhancing transparency through open government data: the case of data portals and their features and capabilities

“…In line with other authors such as Bertot et al (2010), Glassey (2017), Janssen et al (2017), Klein et al (2018), Lourenço (2015), Matheus and Janssen (2020), Safarov et al (2017), or Saxena and Muhammad (2018), this study emphasizes the importance of transparency effects of OGD and open data portals. In addition, the identified features and capabilities complement and extend previous studies on this topic such as Alexopoulos et al (2017), Bogdanović-Dinić et al (2014), Chatfield and Reddick (2017), Máchová et al (2018), or Thorsby et al (2017).…”

“…In line with other authors such as Bertot et al (2010), Glassey (2017), Janssen et al (2017), Klein et al (2018), Lourenço (2015), Matheus and Janssen (2020), Safarov et al (2017), or Saxena and Muhammad (2018) et al (2017). In order to effectively identify, disclose, and reuse OGD for transparency purposes, several conditions and requirements must be considered and embedded in the design of any open data portal.…”

“…Thus, more research is needed to gain insights into how the data sets published on the open data portals are relevant in terms of utilizing them for anti-corruption purposes. Studies conducted by Ojo et al (2016) and Saxena and Muhammad (2018) showed that the most common obstacle for using of open data portals is perceived the poor quality of open data provided on them. It is characterized by poor metadata, failure to present data appropriately to different audience and difficulty in locating data of interest.…”

An Intention-Adoption Behavioral Model for Open Government Data in Pakistan’s Public Sector Organizations–An Exploratory Study

“…In developed countries, however, research on OGD is at the early stages [8].In the Pakistan context, quite a few studies are conducted i.e. OGD barriers with respect to private organizations [9], diffusion of open data in big quantities across Pakistan [10,11], OGD adoption from academicians and citizens perspectives [12,13], OGD impact on transparency and accountability [14], and uses and impact of open data for social sector [15]. However, the public organization's perspective is not yet explored.…”