The Enabling Effects of Open Government Data on Collaborative Governance in Smart City Contexts

JeDEM - eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government, Forthcoming

13 Pages Posted: 2 Aug 2014 Last revised: 24 Oct 2015

See all articles by Martin Bartenberger

Martin Bartenberger

Leiden University - Institute of Political Science

Verena Grubmüller

University of Applied Sciences Vienna

Date Written: August 1, 2014

Abstract

The term “smart city” has been strongly promoted since the late 1990s, yet its concrete meaning remains blurry. In this article, we shed light on two elements that many “smart cities” claim to integrate: open data and collaborative/participatory governance. Notably, we investigate whether the common claim in the smart city literature that open data can promote more participative and collaborative forms of governance passes the test of additional theoretical interrogation. We criticize that while this literature has noticed the importance of participation and collaboration, the meaning of the concepts has remained vague. Therefore, we introduce a concrete yet comprehensive framework of collaborative governance from which we derive three theoretical assumptions regarding the potential influence of open data on collaborative processes in a smart city context: overcoming knowledge asymmetries, facilitating joint fact finding and enabling trust building. We conclude by outlining how our theoretical framework could guide further empirical research on the exact relation of smart cities, collaborative governance and open government data.

Keywords: smart city governance, collaborative governance, participation, open government data, city case study, Chicago

Suggested Citation

Bartenberger, Martin and Grubmüller, Verena, The Enabling Effects of Open Government Data on Collaborative Governance in Smart City Contexts (August 1, 2014). JeDEM - eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2474974 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2474974

Martin Bartenberger (Contact Author)

Leiden University - Institute of Political Science ( email )

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
PO Box 9555
Leiden, 2300 RB
Netherlands

Verena Grubmüller

University of Applied Sciences Vienna ( email )

Wohlmutstrasse 22
Vienna, A-1020
Austria

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