Una perspectiva que despierta cada vez mayor interés por parte de administradores públicos, políticos y analistas es el de las llamadas políticas públicas. Se trata de un camino relativamente nuevo, que permite, por una parte, observar y analizar los asuntos públicos desde un ángulo singular vinculado a la transformación de la acción gubernamental y, por otra, idear mecanismos para atender o dar respuesta a lo que se percibe como problemas de orden público. Como es sabido, los problemas públicos son complejos y multideterminados. Su análisis requiere de herramientas que van más allá de lo que comúnmente ofrecen disciplinas como la sociología, la economía, la ciencia política, la administración pública o la psicología por sí solas. De hecho, lo que busca la “ciencia de las políticas”, como la bautizó uno de sus padres fundadores, Harold Laswell (1992: 105), es integrar los conocimientos provenientes de diversas disciplinas bajo un enfoque cuyo objetivo es advertir y “solucionar” problemas. Recientemente, el académico británico Wayne Parsons se ha dado a la tarea de reunir en una sola publicación los aspectos más relevantes del conocimiento que se ha producido alrededor de las políticas públicas. Bajo el título Public Policy: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Policy Analysis, Parsons da cuenta de los temas y debates teóricos centrales de este enfoque, además de aportar múltiples referentes bibliográficos y detalles sobre estudios de caso que ilustran la riqueza de las políticas públicas, pues muestran no sólo cómo se aplican sino, sobre todo, qué explicaciones y respuestas pueden brindar. A ello se suma uno de los rasgos más valiosos del libro: poner en claro los dos ángulos de las políticas públicas que, con frecuencia, son ignorados en la bibliografía sobre la materia, a saber: el análisis del proceso de las políticas, por una parte y, por la otra, el análisis en y para el proceso de políticas, o, lo que es lo mismo, el uso del conocimiento y técnicas analíticas para el diseño, implementación y evaluación de las políticas públicas. Aunque ambos están intrínsecamente ligados, su especificidad determina su naturaleza y fin. Mientras el análisis del proceso de las políticas tiene fines

Public Policy: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Policy Analysis

A systematic review of open government data initiatives

Frame Reflection Toward The Resolution Of Intractable Policy Controversies

The Spiral of Silence: Public Opinion—Our Social Skin. By Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984. Pp. xi + 184. $20.00.)

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the literature on the types, effects, conditions and user of Open Government Data (OGD). The review analyses 101 academic studies about OGD which discuss at least one of the four factors of OGD utilization: the different types of utilization, the effects of utilization, the key conditions, and the different users. Our analysis shows that the majority of studies focus on the OGD provisions while assuming, but not empirically testing, various forms of utilization. The paper synthesizes the hypothesized relations in a multi-dimensional framework of OGD utilization. Based on the framework we suggest four future directions for research: 1) investigate the link between type of utilization and type of users (e.g. journalists, citizens) 2) investigate the link between type of user and type of effect (e.g. societal, economic and good governance benefits) 3) investigate the conditions that moderate OGD effects (e.g. policy, data quality) and 4) establishing a causal link between utilization and OGD outcomes.

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Utilization of open government data : A systematic literature review of types, conditions, effects and users

Although of high relevance to political science, the interaction between technological change and political change in the era of Big Data remains somewhat of a neglected topic. Most studies focus on the concept of e-government and e-governance, and on how already existing government activities performed through the bureaucratic body of public administration could be improved by technology. This article attempts to build a bridge between the field of e-governance and theories of public administration that goes beyond the service delivery approach that dominates a large part of e-government research. Using the policy cycle as a generic model for policy processes and policy development, a new look on how policy decision making could be conducted on the basis of ICT and Big Data is presented in this article.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10919392.2015.1125187

Big data in the policy cycle: Policy decision making in the digital era

This paper analyses the implementation of the Open Government Data strategy and portal of the City of Vienna. This evaluation is based on qualitative interviews and online polls after the strategy was implemented. Two groups of users were involved in the evaluation: internal target groups (employees and heads of department in the City of Vienna's public administration departments) and external stakeholders (citizens, business representatives, science and research, journalists). Analyzed aspects included the present organizational processes, the benefits (to business and society), and requirements for future Open Government Data initiatives. This evaluation reveals success factors which accompanied the implementation: the clear definition of responsibilities and the implementation along a process model, the integration of the Open Government Data platform into existing Content Management Systems, the evaluation of the Open Government Data initiative very shortly after its inception. Based on the theoretical and empirical findings, recommendations for future Open Government Data strategies are made which target the local authority and would require action on the federal level such as Creative Commons Attribution License as the default for subsidy funds or public relation measures carried out directly by the data providing departments.

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Open government data implementation evaluation

Currently information management in public administration is discussed under the aspects of information production, effective information provision and information logistics. The authors point out why the provision of Open Government Data shall be seen as a core element of strategic information management in the public sector and why extensive literature on the subject will be needed in future. The authors have designed an architectural model for Linked Open Government Data based on Good Practice Models in administration and economics. The proposed model is based on current wide spread technologies of Semantic Web, using Tim Berners-Lee 5-star Model. Simple APIs based on RESTful Services are necessary to take advantage of benefits of Peer Production and to guarantee compatibility with the growing market of mobile applications. Issues concerning licencing and legal liability are discussed in the concluding section.

Linked open data: a means for public sector information management

In Government 2.0, public value no longer needs to be provided by government alone but can be provided by any combination of public agencies, the private sector, civil society organizations or citizens. The ubiquitous presence of ICT, citizens’ digital literacy, and their potential willingness to participate online can efficiently enable collaborative production. Models for the inclusion of external stakeholders in public value production can increase the degree of public sector innovation and improve the outcomes of such processes. Governments can use the most valuable resource they have, the citizens, by establishing opportunities for civil society and businesses to engage in an open government.

Collaboration for Open Innovation Processes in Public Administrations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to depict the present situation of e‐participation initiatives of Austrian municipalities and derives recommendations to further enhance the e‐participation sophistication level.Design/methodology/approach – The findings are based on hypotheses we verified against a dataset obtained from an electronic survey among all Austrian municipalities, conducted in 2008.Findings – The technical basis for e‐participation in Austria is well developed, yet accessibility of municipal web sites and the phrasing of information leaves space for improvement. E‐participation in Austria is still in a nascent state and requires the convergence of technical, political, legal and socio‐economic factors, which has not yet fully arrived at the municipal level.Research limitations/implications – The raw material of the survey did not allow a qualitative assessment of e‐services.Practical implications – Change of law and reconsideration of opening hierarchical structures.Social implications – ...

Johann Höchtl

Papers

Big data in the policy cycle: Policy decision making in the digital era

Open government data implementation evaluation

Linked open data: a means for public sector information management

Collaboration for Open Innovation Processes in Public Administrations

E‐participation readiness of Austrian municipalities