Information Polity

Creating commercial value through open data use in open data ecosystems is a wicked problem. This problem is characterized by a lack of specific formulation, complex interactions amongst a variety of stakeholders, a lack of criteria determining a sat

Anneke Zuiderwijk

Marijn Janssen

Geerten van de Kaa

Kostas Poulis

The wicked problem of commercial value creation in open data ecosystems: Policy guidelines for governments

In recent years, ``smart cities'' have rapidly increased in discourses as well as in their real number, and raise various issues. While citizen engagement is a key element of most definitions of smart cities, information and communication technologies (ICTs) would also have great potential for faci litating public participation. However, scholars have highlighted that little research has focused on actual practices of citizen involvement in smart cities so far. In this respect, the authors analyse public participation in Japanese ``Smart Communities'', paying attention to both official discourses and actual practices. Smart Communities were selected in 2010 by the Japanese government which defines them as ``smart city'' projects and imposed criteria such as focus on energy issues, participation and lifestyle innovation. Drawing on analysis of official documents as well as on interviews with each of the four Smart Communities' stakeholders, the paper explains that very little input is expected from Japanese citizens. Instead, ICTs are used by municipalities and electric utilities to steer project participants and to change their behaviour. The objective of Smart Communities would not be to involve citizens in city governance, but rather to make them participate in the co-production of public services, mainly energy production and distribution.

Benoit Granier

Hiroko Kudo

How are citizens involved in smart cities? Analysing citizen participation in Japanese ``Smart Communities''

This study represents two critical steps forward in the area of smart city research and practice. The first is in the form of the development of a comprehensive conceptualization of smart city as a resource for researchers and government practitioners; the second is in the form of the creation of a bridge between smart cities research and practice expertise. City governments increasingly need innovative arrangements to solve a variety of technical, physical, and social problems. ``Smart city'' could be used to represent efforts that in many ways describe a vision of a city, but there is little clarity about this new concept. This paper proposes a comprehensive conceptualization of smart city, including its main components and several specific elements. Academic literature is used to create a robust framework, while a review of practical tools is used to identify specific elements or aspects not treated in the academic studies, but essential to create an integrative and comprehensive conceptualization of smart city. The paper also provides policy implications and suggests areas for future research in this topic.

J. Ramon Gil-Garcia

Theresa A. Pardo

Taewoo Nam

What makes a city smart? Identifying core components and proposing an integrative and comprehensive conceptualization

Open data ecosystems are expected to bring many advantages, such as stimulating citizen participation and innovation. However, scant attention has been given to what constitutes an open data ecosystem. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of essential elements of open data ecosystems for enabling easy publication and use of open data. To achieve this objective, the literature has been reviewed and a scenario about the publication and use of open data has been analyzed. It was found that various applications, tools and portals are available which together can form an ecosystem. The best functionalities of this ecosystem can be selected and utilized by open data providers and users. To create an open data ecosystem at least four key elements should be captured, namely, 1) releasing and publishing open data on the internet, 2) searching, finding, evaluating and viewing data and their related licenses, 3) cleansing, analyzing, enriching, combining, linking and visualizing data and 4) interpreting and discussing data and providing feedback to the data provider and other stakeholders. Furthermore, to integrate the ecosystem elements and to let them act as an integrated whole, there should be three additional elements 5) user pathways showing directions for how open data can be used, 6) a quality management system and 7) different types of metadata to be able to connect the elements.

Chris Davis

Innovation with open data: Essential elements of open data ecosystems

开放数据创新：开放数据生态系统的关键要素

Albert Meijer

William Webster

Editorial: Why do we desk reject so many papers?

社论：为什么我们拒稿如此之多？

Frank Bannister

John Taylor

Karl Lofgren

In Memoriam: Miriam Lips (1967–2024): An Appreciation of Her Life

纪念米里亚姆·利普斯（1967-2024）：对她一生的缅怀

Book Review: <i>Big Data and Public Policy: Course, Content and Outcome</i> by Moody, R., &amp; Bekkers, V.

书评：《大数据与公共政策：课程、内容与成果》，作者：Moody, R., & Bekkers, V.

Due to digitalisation, automation, and the use of artificial intelligence in policy implementation, public administrations are adapting their workflows and organisational structures. We explore the impact of the digital transformation on the nature of tasks as well as the subsequent (potentially) changing demand for competences and job profiles in public executive agencies, based on a comparative case study and semi-structured interviews with over 60 public servants from three key administrative services in Germany – electronic tax returns, internet-based vehicle registrations, and digital building applications. The findings reveal less complex tasks being partially substituted and core discretionary tasks being standardised. We highlight the emergence of “work for digitalisation” that often remains “invisible”, including “compensating work” (scanning, IT support), “connecting work” (software maintenance) and “cleaning work” (validating data), resulting in an overall increased workload. Additionally, there is a need for role-specific new competences and upskilling of middle-level public servants. Our results indicate a potential substitution of traditional administrative job profiles but a growing demand for highly skilled, academically trained public servants. The findings therefore challenge the notion that digitalisation and automation threaten human labour or effectively counteract staff shortages. Rather, (potential) benefits, burdens, and job perspectives are distributed unevenly across job profiles.

Philipp Gräfe

Justine Marienfeldt

Liz Marla Wehmeier

Sabine Kuhlmann

Changing tasks and changing public servants? The digitalisation and automation of public administrative work

任务转变与公务员转变？公共行政工作的数字化与自动化

This study investigates the significant influence of patriarchy on the potential acceptance and use of local digital government innovations in resource-constrained countries, building on studies that highlight patriarchy’s impactful role in shaping innovation. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was adopted as the evaluation theory (n= 270) using Ethiopia as a case study. The results from structural equation modeling (SEM) reveal that patriarchy moderates the relationship between facilitating conditions and usage behavior. Contrary to conventional assumptions, we found that despite facing systemic barriers, women demonstrated higher engagement levels with the local digital innovation compared to their male counterparts, even when they did not perceive direct job-related benefits. This revelation not only challenges prevailing gender stereotypes but also underscores the resilience of women in circumventing patriarchal constraints. The study significantly contributes to theory by contextualizing the UTAUT model within a patriarchal framework, bringing out how societal norms and gender dynamics shape technology adoption in public sector settings. Practically, our findings advocate for gender-sensitive policies and interventions to bridge digital divides, emphasizing the need for inclusive strategies that account for underlying societal structures. By providing empirical evidence from a resource-constrained setting, this research offers important insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers aiming to foster equitable digital engagement and harness the full potential of digital government innovations.

Debas Senshaw

Hossana Twinomurinzi

How women circumvent systemic constraints: Patriarchy’s extension to the adoption of digital government innovations

女性如何绕过系统性限制：父权制对数字政府创新采纳的延伸

Abbreviation	IP
Journal Impact	1.30
Quartiles(Global)	INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE(Q2)

ISSN	1570-1255, 1875-8754
h-index	43

Publication Information	Publisher: IOS Press BV，Publishing cycle: ，Journal Type: journal，Open Access Journals: No
Basic data	Year of publication: 2002，Proportion of original research papers: 96.77%，Self Citation Rate:15.40%， Gold OA Rate: 31.82%

Information Polity

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The wicked problem of commercial value creation in open data ecosystems: Policy guidelines for governments

How are citizens involved in smart cities? Analysing citizen participation in Japanese ``Smart Communities''

What makes a city smart? Identifying core components and proposing an integrative and comprehensive conceptualization

Innovation with open data: Essential elements of open data ecosystems

Editorial: Why do we desk reject so many papers?

In Memoriam: Miriam Lips (1967–2024): An Appreciation of Her Life

Book Review: Big Data and Public Policy: Course, Content and Outcome by Moody, R., & Bekkers, V.

Editorial: Why do we desk reject so many papers?

Changing tasks and changing public servants? The digitalisation and automation of public administrative work

How women circumvent systemic constraints: Patriarchy’s extension to the adoption of digital government innovations