Researching the democratic impact of open government data: A systematic literature review

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Ruijer, Erna H.J.M.^* | Martinius, Evelijn

Affiliations: School of Governance, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Erna Ruijer, School of Governance, Utrecht University, Bijlhouwerstraat 6, 3511 ZC Utrecht, The Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: This systematic literature review examines the impact of open government data on democratic societies. The paper uses a multidimensional operationalization of democracy, concentrating on monitorial, deliberative and participatory processes. It presents expected and found impact of open government data on democratic processes, an overview of the indicators used to measure impact and challenges of realizing impact. The results show that so far limited empirical studies have been conducted regarding the impact of open data on democratic processes. Furthermore, the empirical studies show mixed results and use a broad variety of indicators to measure the impact of OGD. Challenges identified are related to data skills, representation and diversity. More research is necessary especially regarding the impact of open data on deliberative processes and the impact of open data for citizens.

Keywords: Open government data, open government, democracy, impact, transparency

DOI: 10.3233/IP-170413

Journal: Information Polity, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 233-250, 2017