[open-government] Opendata: Digital-Era Governance Thoroughbred or New Public Management Trojan Horse?

[Chris Taggart]

I think the title -- making it out to be a choice between a thoroughbred or
Trojan Horse -- says it all. It's a false dichotomy, as neither of those are
what the open data advocates are suggesting it is, nor do most of us believe
that open data is solution to all our problems (far from it -- see some of
my presentations[1]).

It also seems to offer a choice between New Public Management (which I think
Emer Coleman does a fairly good job of illuminating in her paper[2]) and the
brave new world of Digital Era Governance, which is also to misunderstand
the changes being brought about in society, with or without open government
data.

The point is not that open data is the answer to our problem but society's
chance to stay in the game (and even then, the odds are arguably against
it). We already have ever increasing numbers of huge closed databases, many
made up of largely government data, available to small number of people and
companies.

This leads to an asymmetry of power and friction that completely undermines
democracy; open data is not a sufficiency to counteract that, but I think it
is a requirement.

Chris Taggart

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------
OpenCorporates :: The Open Database of the Corporate World
http://opencorporates.com
OpenlyLocal :: Making Local Government More Transparent
http://openlylocal.com
Blog: http://countculture.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/CountCulture

[1] http://www.slideshare.net/countculture
[2]
http://davepress.net/2011/05/18/from-new-public-management-to-open-governance-the-back-story/


On 26 August 2011 08:22, Daniel Dietrich <daniel.dietrich at okfn.org> wrote:

> Dear all
>
> Christiane (in CC) pointed me to this and I wanted to share and perhaps
> discuss with you:
>
> #Opendata: Digital-Era Governance Thoroughbred or New Public Management
> Trojan Horse?
> by Justin Longo, University of Victoria published in Public Policy &
> Governance Review, Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 38, Spring 2011
> http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1856120
>
> Abstract:
> "The open data movement - in which advocates have called for governments to
> provide open, easy-to-use and largely free-of-charge access to public data -
> has generated significant momentum in a short period of time. I review the
> benefits - to both governments and the public - that many open data
> advocates agree are achievable from making digitized government data more
> open. Following this, I focus on one of these purported benefits and propose
> an alternative interpretation that identifies a potential downside to open
> data as currently framed: that an alternative reading of some elements of
> the open data advocacy coalition originate in the New Public Management
> reform agenda and seek to revive it."
>
> My Comment:
> This is not new. Some of the Open Government /Open Data concepts have been
> in close neighbourhood to concepts of increasing government efficiency,
> small government, outsourcing and the like from the very beginning.
>
> Also most Transparency advocates would reject the ideas of outsourcing and
> privatisation we now have to realise that some people argue for exactly this
> under the name of open government.
>
> Tim O'Reilys idea "Government as a Platform" also includes elements of both
> concepts: "Transparency / Participation" and "efficient / small Government".
> Don't get me wrong: I don't say that an efficient Government is a bad thing.
> But I think Justin Longo is making a good point here.
>
> I think the Open Government / Transparency / Open Data Movements should be
> clear that our demand for an open Government, for Open Data and more
> Transparency and Participation is not the same than others' advocacy for
> outsourcing and privatisation in the name of Government efficiency under a
> neoliberal agenda.
>
> Regards
> Daniel
> _______________________________________________
> open-government mailing list
> open-government at lists.okfn.org
> http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/open-government
>
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