Government Data Openness and Coverage. How do They Affect Trust in European Countries?

doi:10.2478/jdis-2021-0010

Abstract

Abstract:

Purpose: This paper aims to assess if the extent of openness and the coverage of data sets released by European governments have a significant impact on citizen trust in public institutions.
Design/methodology/approach: Data for openness and coverage have been collected from the Open Data Inventory 2018 (ODIN), by Open Data Watch; institutional trust is built up as a formative construct based on the European Social Survey (ESS), Round 9. The relations between the open government data features and trust have been tested on the basis of structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings: The paper reveals that as European governments improve data openness, disaggregation, and time coverage, people tend to trust them more. However, the size of the effect is still small and, comparatively, data coverage effect on citizens’ confidence is more than twice than the impact of openness.
Research limitations: This paper analyzes the causal effect of Open Government Data (OGD) features captured in a certain moment of time. In upcoming years, as OGD is implemented and a more consistent effect on people is expected, time series analysis will provide with a deeper insight.
Practical implications: Public officers should continue working in the development of a technological framework that contributes to make OGD truly open. They should improve the added value of the increasing amount of open data currently available in order to boost internal and external innovations valuable both for public agencies and citizens.
Originality/value: In a field of knowledge with little quantitative empirical evidence, this paper provides updated support for the positive effect of OGD strategies and it also points out areas of improvement in terms of the value that citizens can get from OGD coverage and openness.

Key words: Open government data, Open data, Trust, Public policy

Gonzálvez-Gallego, Nicolás, and Laura Nieto-Torrejón. "Government Data Openness and Coverage. How do They Affect Trust in European Countries?." Journal of Data and Information Science, vol.6, no.1, 2021, pp.139-153. DOI: 10.2478/jdis-2021-0010

Figures/Tables 5

Table 1

Table 2

Table 3

Figure 1.

Table 4

References 57

[1]	Alesina, A., & Ferrara, E.L. (2000). The determinants of trust (No. w7621). National Bureau of Economic Research. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3386/w7621
[2]	Altayar, M.S. (2018). Motivations for open data adoption: An institutional theory perspective. Government Information Quarterly, 35(4), 633-643. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2018.09.006
[3]	Bentler, P.M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238 doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238 pmid: 2320703
[4]	Bentler, P.M., & Bonett, D.G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88(3), 588. DOI: https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588 doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588
[5]	Berelson, B. (1952). Democratic theory and public opinion. Public Opinion Quarterly, 313-330. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/266397 doi: 10.1093/poq/nfz012 pmid: 31534276
[6]	Bollen, K.A., & Paxton, P. (2000). Subjective measures of liberal democracy. Comparative Political Studies, 33(1), 58-86.
[7]	Bozeman, B., & Kingsley, G. (1998). Risk culture in public and private organizations. Public Administration Review, 109-118. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/976358
[8]	Cangur, S., & Ercan, I. (2015). Comparison of model fit indices used in structural equation modeling under multivariate normality. Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods, 14(1), 14. DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.22237/jmasm/1430453580
[9]	Chun, S., Shulman, S., Sandoval, R., & Hovy, E. (2010). Government 2.0: Making connections between citizens, data and government. Information Polity, 15(1-2), 1-9.
[10]	Drakos, K., Kallandranis, C., & Karidis, S. (2019). Determinants of trust in institutions in times of crisis: Survey-based evidence from the European Union. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 57(6), 1228-1246. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12884
[11]	Euro Area Business Cycle Dating Committee (2020) Available from: https://cepr.org/content/euro-area-business-cycle-dating-committee-announcements.
[12]	European Parliament and Council of the EU (2003). Directive 2003/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 on the re-use of public sector information. Available from: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2003/98/oj
[13]	European Parliament and Council of the EU (2019). Directive (EU) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on open data and the re-use of public sector information. Available from: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/1024/oj
[14]	Gilbert, D., Balestrini, P., & Littleboy, D. (2004). Barriers and benefits in the adoption of e-government. International Journal of Public Sector Management. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09513550410539794
[15]	Gonzálvez-Gallego, N., Nieto-Torrejón, L., & Pérez-Cárceles, M.C. (2020). Is open data an enabler for trust? Exploring the link and the mediating role of citizen satisfaction. International Journal of Public Administration, 43(14), 1218-1227. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2019.1668412
[16]	Grimmelikhuijsen, S.G. (2012). Transparency and trust. An experimental study of online disclosure and trust in government. Dissertation, Utrecht Univ.
[17]	Guiso, L., Sapienza, P., & Zingales, L. (2016). Monnet’s error? Economic Policy, 31(86), 247-297. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/epolic/eiw003
[18]	Harrison, T.M., Guerrero, S., Burke, G.B., Cook, M., Cresswell, A., Helbig, N., & Pardo, T. (2012). Open government and e-government: Democratic challenges from a public value perspective. Information Polity, 17(2), 83-97. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-2012-0269
[19]	Hix, S. (2013). What’s Wrong with the Europe Union and How to Fix it. John Wiley & Sons.
[20]	Hood, C. (2006). Transparency in historical perspective. In Transparency: The key to better governance?,Ed. Christopher Hood and David Heald, 3-23. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
[21]	Hooghe, M., & Marien, S. (2013). A comparative analysis of the relation between political trust and forms of political participation in Europe. European Societies, 15(1), 131-152. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2012.692807
[22]	Hossain, M.A., Dwivedi, Y.K., & Rana, N.P. (2016). State-of-the-art in open data research: Insights from existing literature and a research agenda. Journal of organizational computing and electronic commerce, 26(1-2), 14-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10919392.2015.1124007
[23]	Hu, L.T., & Bentler, P.M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
[24]	Jackson, M.C. (2016). Systems thinking: Creative holism for managers. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
[25]	Janssen, M., & Kuk, G. (2016). Big and open linked data (BOLD) in research, policy, and practice. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 26(1-2), 3-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10919392.2015.1124005
[26]	Janssen, M., Charalabidis, Y., & Zuiderwijk, A. (2012). Benefits, adoption barriers and myths of open data and open government. Information Systems Management, 29(4), 258-268. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10580530.2012.716740
[27]	Jöreskog, K.G., & Sörbom, D. (1993). LISREL 8: Structural equation modeling with the SIMPLIS command language. Scientific Software International.
[28]	MacCallum, R.C., & Hong, S. (1997). Power analysis in covariance structure modeling using GFI and AGFI. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 32(2), 193-210. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr3202_5
[29]	Martin, C. (2014). Barriers to the open government data agenda: Taking a multi-level perspective. Policy & Internet, 6(3), 217-240. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/1944-2866.POI367
[30]	McDermott, P. (2010). Building open government. Government Information Quarterly, 27(4), 401-413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2010.07.002
[31]	Meijer, A. (2009). Understanding computer-mediated transparency. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 75(2), 255-69. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0020852309104175
[32]	Meijer, A. (2014). Government transparency in historical perspective: From the ancient regime to open data in the Netherlands. International Journal of Public Administration, 38(3), 189-199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2014.934837
[33]	Mishler, W., & Rose, R. (2005). What are the political consequences of trust? A test of cultural and institutional theories in Russia. Comparative Political Studies, 38(9), 1050-1078. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414005278419
[34]	Moss, G., & Coleman, S. (2014). Deliberative manoeuvres in the digital darkness: E-democracy policy in the UK. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 16(3), 410-427. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111%2F1467-856X.12004
[35]	Muller, E.N., & Jukam, T.O. (1983). Discontent and aggressive political participation. British Journal of Political Science, 13(2), 159-179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123400003203
[36]	Muñoz, J., Torcal, M., & Bonet, E. (2011). Institutional trust and multilevel government in the European Union: Congruence or compensation?. European Union Politics, 12(4), 551-574. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1465116511419250
[37]	O’Hara, K. (2012,June). Transparency, open data and trust in government: Shaping the infosphere. In Proceedings of the 4th annual ACM web science conference, 223-232.
[38]	Open Data, Watch (2019). Open data inventory 2018/2019. Methodology report. Available from: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ubPL1l_3im9bjlCVZ6W2ICAy6UAiXl1hGeA1aXImkxI/edit
[39]	Parycek, P., Hochtl, J., & Ginner, M. (2014). Open government data implementation evaluation. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Eelectronic Commerce Research, 9(2), 80-99. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762014000200007
[40]	Pereira, G.V., Macadar, M.A., Luciano, E.M., & Testa, M.G. (2017). Delivering public value through open government data initiatives in a Smart City context. Information Systems Frontiers, 19(2), 213-229. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-016-9673-7
[41]	Porumbescu, G.A., & Park, Y. (2014). Examining the distinctiveness of antecedents to trust in government: Evidence from South Korea. African and Asian Studies, 13(3), 315-337. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15692108-12341301
[42]	Rigdon, E.E. (1996). CFI versus RMSEA: A comparison of two fit indexes for structural equation modeling. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 3(4), 369-379. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519609540052
[43]	Safarov, I., Meijer, A., & Grimmelikhuijsen, S. (2017). Utilization of open government data: A systematic literature review of types, conditions, effects and users. Information Polity, 22(1), 1-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-160012
[44]	Savoldelli, A., Codagnone, C., & Misuraca, G. (2014). Understanding the e-government paradox: Learning from literature and practice on barriers to adoption. Government Information Quarterly, 31, 63-71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2014.01.008
[45]	Schafheitle, S., Weibel, A., Meidert, N., & Leuffen, D. (2020). The Road to Trust. A Vignette Study on the Determinants of Citizens’ Trust in the European Commission. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 58(2), 256-275. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.12901
[46]	Schedler, K., Guenduez, A.A., & Frischknecht, R. (2019). How smart can government be? Exploring barriers to the adoption of smart government. Information Polity, 24(1), 3-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-180095
[47]	Schermelleh-Engel, K., Moosbrugger, H., & Müller, H. (2003). Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: Tests of significance and descriptive goodness-of-fit measures. Methods of Psychological Research Online, 8(2), 23-74.
[48]	Schumpeter, J.A. (1950). Capitalism, socialism, and democracy. New York: Harper & Row.
[49]	Smith, A., Voß, J.P., & Grin, J. (2010). Innovation studies and sustainability transitions: The allure of the multi-level perspective and its challenges. Research Policy, 39(4), 435-448. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2010.01.023
[50]	Thorhildur, J., Avital, M., & Bjorn-Andersen, N. (2013). The generative mechanisms of open government data. In Proceedings of the 21st European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), Utrecht, 6-7, June.
[51]	Ullman, J.B., & Bentler, P.M. (2012). Structural equation modeling. Handbook of Psychology, 607-634.
[52]	Van der Meer, T.W. (2018). Economic performance and political trust. The Oxford Handbook of Social and Political Trust, 599-616.
[53]	Williams, L.J., Edwards, J.R., & Vandenberg, R.J. (2003). Recent advances in causal modeling methods for organizational and management research. Journal of Management, 29(6), 903-936. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0149-2063_03_00084-9
[54]	Wirtz, B.W., & Birkmeyer, S. (2015). Open government: Origin, development, and conceptual perspectives. International Journal of Public Administration, 38(5), 381-396. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2014.942735
[55]	Wright, S. (1921). Correlation and causation. Journal of Agricultural Research, 20, 557-585.
[56]	Yu, H., & Robinson, D.G. (2011). The new ambiguity of open government. UCLA L. Rev. Discourse, 59, 178.
[57]	Zuiderwijk, A., & Janssen, M. (2014). Open data policies, their implementation and impact: A framework for comparison. Government Information Quarterly, 31(1), 17-29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2013.04.003 doi: 10.1016/j.giq.2013.04.003

Variable	Definition	Source
Data Coverage (D_COV)	The score is based on the availability of key indicators and appropriate disaggregation over time and for geographic subdivisions.	Open Data Inventory (ODIN)
Data Openness (D_OPEN)	Its score is based on whether data can be downloaded in machine-readable and non-proprietary formats, are accompanied by metadata and download options exist such as bulk download and user-selection or APIs, and have an open terms of use.	Open Data Inventory (ODIN)
Trust in Parliament (TRSTPRL)	How much a citizen personally trust in countries’ parliament	European Social Survey (ESS)
Trust in politicians (TRSTPLT)	How much a citizen personally trust in the politicians
Trust in political parties (TRSTPRT)	How much a citizen personally trust in political parties
Trust in European Parliament (TRSTEP)	How much a citizen personally trust in the European parliament
Trust in legal system (TRSTLGL)	How much a citizen personally trust in the legal system?

	Mean	Minimum	Maximum	Std. Dev.	Range
Open Data Coverage	62.041	46	79	8.725	0-100
Open Data Openness	76.915	52	96	10.908	0-100
Trust in Parliament	4.511	0	10	2.488	0-10
Trust in politicians	3.590	0	10	2.376	0-10
Trust in political parties	3.582	0	10	2.339	0-10
Trust in European Parliament	4.381	0	10	2.465	0-10
Trust in legal system	5.371	0	10	2.555	0-10

Index	NFI	TLI	CFI	GFI	AGFI	RMSEA
Threshold	>0.9	>0.9	>0.95	>0.9	>0.85	<0.08
Model’s values	0.993	0.987	0.993	0.992	0.979	0.051