Significance of open government data in the GCC countries
| Date | 08 May 2017 |
| Published date | 08 May 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-02-2017-0005 |
| Pages | 251-263 |
| Author | Stuti Saxena |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information policy |
Significance of open government data in
the GCC countries
Stuti Saxena
Stuti Saxena is Research
Scholar at the
Department of Political
Science, Central
University of Haryana,
Mahendragarh, India and
Siraj Quryat Trading and
Contracting LLC, Muscat,
Oman.
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to review the strengths and weaknesses of open government
data (OGD) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman,
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Design/methodology/approach –The paper takes a qualitative approach to explore the OGD portals
of the GCC countries.
Findings –The OGD policies of the GCC countries are at an early stage and there are many challenges
that need to be addressed. Specifically, there are privacy concerns regarding the utilization and
harnessing of OGD, and users are wary of sharing their vital information via the internet owing to
information leaks. Besides, the paper throws light on some of the lessons which may be derived from the
OGD policies of developed nations.
Originality/value –Academic research on OGD implementation in the GCC is limited. This study seeks
to fill the gap in the extant literature by probing different dimensions associated with OGD
implementation in the GCC context.
Keywords Open government data, OGD, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
It has been underscored how public services are increasingly being provided via the internet
and ushering in a welfare state (Taipale, 2013). In this context, governments have been
spearheading their drive to utilize information technology for providing services to the people.
The trend of providing services via the internet has been growing over the years globally
(Ayanso et al., 2011). At the same time, it is being envisaged that provision of public services
via the internet, or “e-government”, helps in forging better ties with citizens, thereby leading to
collaboration, participation, engagement and cooperation between the citizens and the state
(Sivarajah et al., 2016). However, while e-government has become the norm, there are privacy
issues regarding the confidentiality of the data exchanged by users over the internet.
Recently, numerous national and local governments have implemented open government
data (OGD) policies, where web technologies are harnessed to access government data
(Martin, 2014). For instance, South Korea executed an “Open Data Law” in 2013, wherein
machine-readable data were made freely available to firms and citizens (Jung and Park,
2015). Likewise, the United Kingdom (UK) initiated a number of OGD policies in 2012-2013
(Bates, 2014). Italy also joined the OGD movement in 2012. These and other developed
countries have ushered in an era of openness and transparency in public services and,
thus, developing countries may also derive lessons from these countries. Governments
should be insistent upon generating more understanding among the people regarding the
methods of using OGD besides emphasizing the benefits of OGD for the people (Zuiderwijk
et al., 2015). It would be appropriate to probe into the comparative standards and merits of
DOI 10.1108/DPRG-02-2017-0005 VOL. 19 NO. 3 2017, pp. 251-263, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2398-5038 DIGITAL POLICY, REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE PAGE 251
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