A data-driven public sector: Enabling the strategic use of data for productive, inclusive and trustworthy governance
- Charlotte van Ooijen, Barbara Ubaldi, Benjamin Welby
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- International
The digital transformation of society has increasingly changed the way that economies function, the social inclusion challenges facing governments and the way in which our democracies operate. As governments explore their response to these issues they have understood the growing importance of the value of data. The paper discusses the opportunities created by a data driven public sector (DDPS) in three important areas. First, the ability of governments to use data to be better prepared for the future - to predict trends and patterns in order to mitigate emerging risks and respond to developing crises. The second area of opportunity is around the design and delivery of policy and services. Data provides important ways of understanding problems, engage the public and provide access to insights for improving public services that meet user needs, while creating the conditions for robust, evidence-based policy making. The third area of opportunity that the paper explores is performance management in terms of greater public sector productivity and better evaluation of policies and impact. The paper subsequently identifies challenges governments may face in establishing a DDPS and concludes with the discussion of the need for coherent strategic approaches that reflect the role of data across the entire public sector, not only from a policy point of view but from an operational and practical perspective.
