A Socio-Technical Model for Open Government Data Research

National and local governments around the world have been allowing access to administrative data to increase transparency, motivate civic engagement of citizens, and improve collaboration between the public and the government. This study reviews and classifies existing literature on open government data (OGD). To create a structure to organize the existing studies, the researchers devised a framework based on socio-technical theory and summarized the significance of studies along four major points: (1) readiness, (2) implementation, (3) emerging effects, and (4) actors of open data. Studies in OGD have been growing steadily in the recent years because of the rapid development of adoptable technologies that have enabled easier access to government data. Nonetheless, an examination of existing research not only shows a disparity in research and development of OGD across countries in the Open Government partnership program but also reveals pertinent issues that have arisen in different stages of the OGD initiative. The growing number of studies and expanding body of knowledge show the importance of organizing existing literature. This step is timely and significant to map out the current breadth and depth of OGD research. According to existing research, current open governments fall short in encouraging citizen participation and collaborations among citizens and the government. This study pointed out how studies on OGD actors might be the reason as well as the solution to existing findings. This paper aims to provide a framework for organizing OGD studies, present the status of OGD research, and provide recommendations on current gaps that must be addressed.