Information Polity

Zhang, Jing; Puron-Cid, Gabriel; Gil-Garcia, J. Ramon

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150364

Zuiderwijk, Anneke; Janssen, Marijn

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150358

The disclosure of open government data is a complex activity that may createpublic value yet might also encounter risks, such as the misinterpretationand misuse of data. While politicians support data release and assume thatthe positive value of open data will dominate, many governmentalorganizations are reluctant to open their data, as they are afraid of thedark side. The objective of this paper is to provide a decision-making modelthat assists in trade-offs between the pros and cons of open data. Datadisclosure is dependent on the type of data (e.g. its sensitivity, structureand quality) and the context (e.g. organizational policies, legislation andthe political influences). Based on the literature and fifteen in-depthinterviews with public sector officials and data archivists, this paperidentifies contextual and dataset-related variables which influence atrade-off. A decision-making model is presented capturing trade-offs, and inthis way providing guidance for weighing the creation of public value andthe risks. The model can be used for decision-making to open or not to opendata. It is likely that the decision regarding which data should be openedor closed will shift over time.

de Mendonça, Patricia Graziely Antunes; Maciel, Cristiano; Viterbo, José

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150361

Publishing open government data and providing visualizations that favor thequick understanding and interpretation of the associated information is atask that requires systematization and the use of various technologies. Dueto technical limitations (dependence on technological platforms, forexample), this is not a standard practice among government systemdevelopers. In this work, we present a case study that involvesthe creation of a map to visualize information about the infestation ofAedes aegypti (dengue vector) in the municipality of Cuiabá, basedon the selection and analysis of open data. This case study not only demonstratesthat offering an easy way for presenting information on public health bringsbenefits to the community, but it also discusses a strategy for governmentagencies publishing open data and creating visualizations that combineinformation from various sources.

Douglas, Sara; Raine, Roxanne B.; Maruyama, Misa; Semaan, Bryan; Robertson, Scott P.

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150362

With the arrival of television, voters began to care not only aboutpolitical candidates' stances on issues, but also about character, asdemonstrated by Kennedy's and Nixon's 1960 debate. In the currentqualitative study, we investigate how the technologically savvy Millennialsform impressions of candidates when they obtain information through socialor nonsocial media. We found that Millennials tend to stumble upon politicalinformation rather than seek it out, regardless of social media influence.We also found that social (versus nonsocial) media use did increase citizenexpectations of candidates. Whereas both social and nonsocial groupsappreciated candidate stance on issues and candidate character, those whowere exposed to candidates via social media also soughtcandidate-to-community connection. Interestingly, the generation that hasnotoriously less physical community interaction, possibly due to socialmedia, tends to emphasize community involvement when evaluating candidatesthrough social media. This finding supports the view that with new media,public value is defined largely by interactions between senior politiciansand the public.

Kropczynski, Jess; Cai, Guoray; Carroll, John M.

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150363

The use of online forums to support civic discourses onlocal politics has gained momentum, but it is not clear whether such onlineconversations generate relevant outcomes for democratic decision-making.Empirical studies in online deliberation suggest that online forums oftenproduce fragmented and unorganized public preferences when conversationsoccur naturally without facilitation. However, it remains unknown as to whatdegree an unfacilitated online forum can achieve desired quality. Here wereport a detailed content analysis on local newspaper forums to reveal thepatterns of progression towards the formation of public preferences in alocal planning context. Towards this goal, we developed a new coding schemethat incorporates speech acts as indicators of deliberation quality and aprogressive five-phase model of deliberative decision-making. Using thiscoding scheme, the selected newspaper forum was analyzed using a three-stepprocedure. Our results pinpoint portions of the observed dialogue whereprogress is not made towards advanced phases of deliberation due to failureto develop common ground and joint assessment of alternative courses ofaction.

Luna, Dolores E.; Duarte-Valle, Abel; Picazo-Vela, Sergio; Luna-Reyes, Luis F.

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150360

Digital government has been a key component on government reform strategiesduring the last years. Unfortunately, few research exists reporting on theimpacts of electronic government in terms of the final outcomes. By using amodel that links digital governance characteristics to value creation, thispaper explores the impacts of electronic governance on competitiveness,government efficiency, and number of electronic transactions. We used paneldata analysis to test eighteen hypotheses. Results support only one of the18 hypotheses, and four of the hypothesis resulted statistically significantin the opposite direction. Results suggest that citizens use digitalgovernment mainly to complete electronic transactions with government. Ourresults also suggest that, at least at the initial stages, having twodelivery channels have a negative impact on government efficiency, andagainst common belief, they have no impact on the competitiveness of aregion. Finally, our results show that most of the value is explained bycontextual variables used for control purposes. We believe that theseresults challenge, at least partially, some of the current guidingprinciples and beliefs in conducting digital governance research, andsuggest the need of better theories to explain public value creation throughdigital governance.

Cook, Meghan; Harrison, Teresa M.

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150359

While there has been substantial interest in the idea of public value froman academic and theoretical perspective, governments often struggle with howto systematically incorporate public value thinking into their decisionmaking practices. In this paper, we review the concept of public value andits use as an information technology (IT) management strategy by publicmanagers. We then describe the steps in a public value analysis, and presenta case study focusing on a substantial IT investment in which the approachwas applied. We conclude that a public value analysis can add insight inplanning and carrying out enterprise projects by generating a deeperunderstanding of stakeholder perspectives. Collectively identifying internaland external stakeholder values informs an agency's change management andcommunication strategies, both critical to the success of any enterpriseinvestment.

Rodríguez Bolívar, Manuel Pedro

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150365

Public administration is being pressured for innovation, driving servicedelivery towards a more personalized, outcome-driven, participative,efficient and collaborative model. In this regard, Web 2.0 technologies arepotential powerful tools for supporting public engagement, intended toimprove public services and to establish relationships between governmentand citizens based on information sharing and dialogue. This paper seeks toanalyse the influence that political variables could have in the perceptionof policymakers regarding the use of Web 2.0 technologies for userparticipation, for knowledge sharing, and for technological innovation inpublic service delivery. Findings indicate that policymakers are prone tousing Web 2.0 technologies to improve internal productivity of localgovernments and the engagement of citizens in the process of publicservices' delivery, but with the aim of making suggestions throughconsultations. In addition, political factors such as ideology, politicalcompetition or political stability could influence the perception ofpolicymakers regarding the use of Web 2.0 technologies for citizenparticipation and knowledge sharing in public sector delivery.

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150350

2015 Information Polity

doi: 10.3233/IP-150352