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

[David Eaves]

Great thoughts guys.

Chris, I just posted your entire thread into my blog, I thought it was 
so good. Suddenly realized I should have asked first. Really sorry about 
that...

http://eaves.ca/2011/08/26/open-data-and-new-public-management/



On 11-08-26 4:16 AM, Chris Taggart wrote:
> 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 <http://opencorporates.com/>
> OpenlyLocal :: Making Local Government More Transparent 
> http://openlylocal.com <http://openlylocal.com/>
> Blog: http://countculture.wordpress.com 
> <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 
> <mailto: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
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