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

Fri Aug 26 18:20:58 UTC 2011

Hi Chris and David

I agree that presenting the issue as a dichotomy of clear cut policy
philosophies may present a conflict that is not expressed as such, although
from a quick skimming of Emer Coleman's dissertation she also appears to put
it in similar oppositional terms.

However, I don't agree the article says we should we wary of open data, it
says we should be wary of the different agendas behind the drive for open
data. Emer also highlights the danger of NPM sneaking back to derail more
transformative open governance models.

In many ways this article was completely prescient of UK policy:

"From this perspective, support for more open data aims at building
coalitions of citizen consumers who are encouraged to use open data to
expose public service decisions, highlight perceived performance issues,
increase competition within the public sector, and strengthen the hand of
the citizen as customer."
could be written as introduction to the current Cabinet Office Open Data
consultation::

"4.4 The proposals in this consultation are designed to support the agenda
outlined in the recently published Open Public Services White Paper. More
accessible, higher quality data can support better quality services that are
more responsive to individual and community needs, giving more freedom and
professional discretion to those who deliver them, and providing better
value for taxpayers" money. Open Data is central to putting power in the
hands of individuals and local communities to enable people to choose what
sort of service they want and find the best provider to meet their needs."

I agree this could mean many good things in practice, and I believe there is
still an opportunity for shaping the policy because it depends on so much
external input from hackers and civil society, but we ignore the fault lines
at our peril.

We should not underestimate the lack of awareness of open data outside
certain policy and tech networks, and how problematic some framings could
be, particularly if coupled with a privacy scandal.

We are doing a workshop in around a month's time in London to discuss the UK
consultation, and this particular debate was already planned as one of the
sessions. Maybe it should also take place at the camp in Poland, or is it
still too UK specific?

Javier

2011/8/26 David Eaves <david at eaves.ca>

>  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
> 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
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>>
>
>
>
>
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