The Socioeconomic Effects of Public Sector Information on Digital Networks: Toward a Better Understanding of Different Access and Reuse Policies

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The U.S National Committee for CODATA will organize a two-day international workshop in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to obtain an improved understanding of methods, models, and techniques to assess the specific effects of different access and reuse policies for online Public Sector Information (PSI). A summary report will be published by the National Academies in collaboration with the OECD at the conclusion of the project and the results will also provide input to the OECD Ministerial meeting that is tentatively scheduled for June 2008. The Workshop will consider different approaches and levels of access to and reuse of public sector information. Participants will discuss variability in implementation and enforcement of established national access and reuse policies; the role that PSI and government policies play in governing such information play; the understanding of economic and non-economic effects of PSI online; and the effects of different access and reuse policies. The Workshop will address empirical data regarding the effects of PSI disseminated on the internet and different policy approaches to this dissemination. The Workshop will seek to identify, understand, and evaluate current methods and underlying criteria that are used in this area and to provide more solid frameworks for policy makers and information managers to assess the effects of different access and use policies. The Workshop will consider public investment in PSI and economic activity based on the reuse of that information; the intangible, non-economic social benefits of different types of PSI; and educational, research, good governance, and various other applications for PSI to improve the welfare of society. Additional issues to be discussed at the Workshop include the costs and benefits of different information policies on the information society and the knowledge economy. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the current assessment methods and their underlying criteria, the Workshop may be able to identify ways to improve and apply such tools to help rationalize the policies and clarify the special role of the internet in disseminating PSI, thus leading to increased efficiency and effectiveness of PSI investments and management and improvement and of their downstream economic and social results.