Open data ecosystems: an international comparison

Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy. 2017. Vol. 11. No. 1. P. 132–156.

Styrin E. M., Luna-Reyes L., Harrison T.

Purpose. In this paper we compare the open government data ecosystems of Mexico, Russia and the United States in an effort to extract some of the major points of similarity and differentiation between these countries, and to trace how variations in these ecosystems may be related to context-specific historical problems and politics, particularly with regard to the possibility of sustained and institutionalized practice. Methodology. We take a comparative approach, using a set of concepts commonly applied to the three countries to analyze similarities and differences within this group. We gathered textual data and information, our searches for relevant documents guided by a set of concepts or criteria that are frequently employed in studies of government’s open data readiness assessment. Findings. We conclude by focusing on the very different national exigencies that have given rise to open data ecosystems in the three countries, the variations in policy vehicles and implementation schemes that have instantiated open data practices within the three ecosystems, and the common challenges that each country faces in institutionalizing open government data programs beyond the tenures of their current executives. Originality/Value. Open government data is an information policy with near global relevance and increasing application. Practitioners and scholars alike have used the concept of an “ecosystem” to guide their approach to implementing this policy and to theorizing its scope and benefits. The international comparison is original and adds to our current understanding of an ecosystem approach to open government data

Keywords: comparative analysis, information policy, open data, ecosystem, open government data