Assessment of the Public Value of Open Data in Ghana

With rising enthusiasm for Open Data (OD) globally, there has been an expanding requirement for research on the impact this movement has created. Ghana is consid-ered as one of the early Open Data adopters in Africa. The case of Ghana presents an interesting and a unique area of concentration due to the country’s long stand in de-mocracy. The practice of democracy, accountability and transparency has been the core of government development in Ghana since independence in 1957. The research pur-pose is to understand and examine the impact of Open Data from the context of Gha-na from the perspective of created public value. Existing studies in Open Data has focused on the supply-side. These studies have discussed issues relating to licensing, policies, power relationship between government stakeholders and the technological platforms of the phenomenon. Less is however, known of the impact Open Data on citizens and government of developing countries after about four years of embracing the initiative. The research question underlying this study is: What public value has Open Data created in Ghana? To answer this research question, the study adopts a post-positivist methodology and deductively adopts the public value framework as the theoretical lens. With reference to the public value framework the study posits that the major impact of open data in Ghana is related to intrinsic enhancements, steward-ship, quality of life, economic empowerment.With rising enthusiasm for Open Data (OD) globally, there has been an expanding requirement for research on the impact this movement has created. Ghana is consid-ered as one of the early Open Data adopters in Africa. The case of Ghana presents an interesting and a unique area of concentration due to the country’s long stand in de-mocracy. The practice of democracy, accountability and transparency has been the core of government development in Ghana since independence in 1957. The research pur-pose is to understand and examine the impact of Open Data from the context of Gha-na from the perspective of created public value. Existing studies in Open Data has focused on the supply-side. These studies have discussed issues relating to licensing, policies, power relationship between government stakeholders and the technological platforms of the phenomenon. Less is however, known of the impact Open Data on citizens and government of developing countries after about four years of embracing the initiative. The research question underlying this study is: What public value has Open Data created in Ghana? To answer this research question, the study adopts a post-positivist methodology and deductively adopts the public value framework as the theoretical lens. With reference to the public value framework the study posits that the major impact of open data in Ghana is related to intrinsic enhancements, steward-ship, quality of life, economic empowerment

Open Government Data Licensing Framework: An Informal Ontology for Supporting Mashup

Objectives of the thesis are –1) to identify the legal problems coming from mashups of Open Government Data (OGD) and 2) to purpose an informal ontology to help technical reusers of Public Sector Information to utilize datasets according to their intended purpose and in compliance with the legal obligations that govern the rights to reuse the data. A survey of national OGD portals found that the majority of OGD are released under inappropriate licenses, not fully complying with the legal rules that apply to the reuse of the data. Open Government Data can be released and covered by multiple licensing regimes, up to 33 in a single country. We have analysed the European Union (EU) legal framework of reuse of Public Sector Information (PSI), the EU Database Directive and copyright framework and other legal sources (e.g., licenses, legal notices, and terms of use) that can apply to open government Datasets. From this deep analysis we have modelled several major concepts in an Informal Ontology of Open Government Data Licenses Framework for a Mash-up Model (iOGDL4M). The iOGDL4M will be used for qualifying datasets in order to improve the accuracy of their legal annotation. The iOGDL4M also aims to connect each applicable legal rule to official legal texts in order to direct legal experts and reusers to primary sources

Open Government Data Licensing Framework: An Informal Ontology for Supporting Mashup

Objectives of the thesis are –1) to identify the legal problems coming from mashups of Open Govern-ment Data (OGD) and 2) to purpose an informal ontology to help technical reusers of Public Sector Informa-tion to utilize datasets according to their intended purpose and in compliance with the legal obligations that govern the rights to reuse the data. A survey of national OGD portals found that the majority of OGD are released under inappropriate li-censes, not fully complying with the legal rules that apply to the reuse of the data. Open Government Data can be released and covered by multiple licensing regimes, up to 33 in a single country. We have analysed the European Union (EU) legal framework of reuse of Public Sector Information (PSI), the EU Database Directive and copyright framework and other legal sources (e.g., licenses, legal notices, and terms of use) that can apply to open government Datasets. From this deep analysis we have modelled several major concepts in an Informal Ontology of Open Government Data Licenses Framework for a Mash-up Model (iOGDL4M). The iOGDL4M will be used for qualifying datasets in order to improve the accuracy of their legal anno-tation. The iOGDL4M also aims to connect each applicable legal rule to official legal texts in order to direct legal experts and reusers to primary sources. This research aims to present 1) a legal analysis of OGD regulation in the European Union and its mem-ber states; 2) the Survey of National Open Government Data Portals and analysis of the most commonly applied licenses and legal notices and their compatibility; and 3) the Informal Ontology of Open Govern-ment Data Licenses Framework for a Mash-up Model. This thesis is comprised of 4 publications. It consists of presentation of the research, the publications, and annexes that support the research

The $200 million/year price tag for superannuation fund governance: A case study of fund member loss

As the 21st century began in Australia, 91% of all Australians were covered by superannuation. In turn, total superannuation assets had reached $960 billion by the first quarter of 2006 with balances in superannuation funds now the largest financial asset held by households. This substantial growth in superannuation coverage did not, however, occur as a result of free market forces operating between producers and consumers in the superannuation industry. Rather, this increase can be directly traced to the level of intervention in the industry by both the Labor and Coalition Governments throughout the 1980s and 1990s. This pattern has again been replicated in the 21st century with a "trilogy" of major superannuation reforms occurring in the period from 2001 to 2006 including the 2004 Registrable Superannuation Entity licensing (RSE) regime. However, in spite of the public interest rationale provided by both governments, these regulatory reforms have failed to achieve recognition as a vehicle for advancing the welfare of Australian workers in their role as superannuants or for improving the welfare of the nation. Rather, criticisms relating to interest group lobbying for private gains continue to grow unabated. With further major reforms looming and given both the critical importance of this issue at an individual and social level and the scarcity of existing cost/benefit studies in this area, this research paper seeks to fill this present gap in understanding. The analysis of these opposing claims will be undertaken within the public and private interest theories of regulatory reform. In order to inform this public versus private interest debate, summary data obtained from a recent trustee-based survey on the actual costs incurred and benefits received in relation to the RSE reforms will be utilised

A sub-regional management framework for South Pacific longline fisheries

The principal objective of this study was to determine if additional net benefits can be derived from the sub-regional longline fishery by the introduction of a new management agreement that would centre on the provision of licensing arrangements that would allow access by eligible longline vessels to multiple Exclusive Economic Zones, i.e. Multi-zone Access. [90pp.

Playing catch-up: investigating public and institutional policies for OER practices in Australia

This article explores many of the most well-known Open Educational Resource (OER) initiatives worldwide and then reports on OER developments in Australia. It also discusses a current research project funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), including its design and methods of data collection and analysis. Although the study reported here is ongoing, a survey of the tertiary sector to establish current 'state of play' of OERs in Australia has been completed. The authors examine a preliminary analysis that focuses mostly on OER policies at governmental and institutional levels. The analysis shows that the OER movement remains relatively immature in Australia. Also, according to the survey's participants, the government and educational institutions need to give much greater consideration to a regulatory framework in which the use of OER and Open Educational Practices (OEP) can be fostered and encouraged. Isolated OER activities exist, but there appears to be a great deal of catching up required if Australia is to have coordinated initiatives to foster innovation and a culture of more OEPs

Public sector information and re-use – where is the UK now?

Information produced by government does of course serve a number of purposes. First it should inform government so as to generate sound policy decisions and effective strategies. Second, through a variety of media, it should provide the general public with information to enable individuals to engage with government services and to deliver personal data that they are obliged to provide. Access to a wide variety of public sector information (PSI) is also important to enable individuals to manage their lives, operate their businesses or help make political decisions about which party to support at an election. But in the midst of such uses is the asset itself i.e. PSI and the policy for its creation, storage, management, exploitation and distribution. As a national resource one issue is whether it is a commodity to be shared freely or, in those circumstances where income can be derived from it, a product to be licensed and sold to offset public sector costs? In the UK this has been under debate for many years through analysis of Crown copyright regulation. Current policy, as interpreted by HM Treasury, continues to argue that those wishing to exploit or add value to PSI for commercial purposes should at least contribute something to the cost of its supply. Joint ventures with the private sector have also been entered into for the preparation and distribution of some PSI where the private sector service provider is permitted to recoup subscriptions in return for the investment. Until recently this has been a relatively sterile debate lacking data to fuel the arguments. That has changed as a result of recent investigations which this paper now explores. At issue is whether present policy is vindicated or alternatively whether pressure is growing for further modernisation of conventional approaches? This paper traces the process of development of the policy through to the present

A Research Agenda for Studying Open Source I: A Multi-Level Framework

This paper presents a research agenda for studying information systems using open source software A multi-level research model is developed at five discrete levels of analysis: (1) the artifact; (2) the individual; (3) the team, project, and community; (4) the organization; and (5) society. Each level is discussed in terms of key issues within the level. Examples are based on prior research. In a companion paper, [Niederman, et al 2006], we view the agenda through the lens of referent discipline theories

Ideas for a regulatory definition of FinTech

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to develop the approach to a legal definition of FinTech. Design/Methodology/Approach: In this paper we evolve possible approaches of FinTech legal definition, investigate existing approaches at the international level and examine the policies applied at the national levels. Document analysis, as a form of qualitative research, was used in this study. Findings: We found that in most countries the legislation does not specifically address fintech companies, and the legal framework equally regulates the activities of traditional service providers and fintech operators. In our opinion, no specific legislation for FinTech companies needed, each type of activity provided by a financial or technology company is subject to a specific legislation/regulation with primary focus on services and products provided as payments, insurance, investments etc. Practical Implications: The term FinTech is freely used by policy makers, regulators, companies, researchers, academics and the public, both nationally and internationally. According to international organizations such as the IMF, the World Bank and the OECD, FinTech offers the opportunity to accelerate economic growth and expand financial affordability/inclusion in all countries. Some countries are increasingly striving to become global or international regional hubs for FinTech and are working hard to develop interagency government strategies with a supportive legal environment. Originality/Value: There is still confusion about the nature and dynamics of FinTech among politicians, scientists and practitioners, as well as about the legal framework of this area. The value of this article is to clarify and propose an apprach to definition of FinTech by combining different approaches in a very original and innovative way.peer-reviewe

Motorcycle Safety Research Project: Interim Summary Report Research Deliverable 1: Investigate and Develop a Pre-Learner Motorcycle Licensing Package

Motorcycle trauma is a serious road safety issue in Queensland and throughout Australia. In 2009, Queensland Transport (later Transport and Main Roads or TMR) appointed CARRS-Q to provide a three-year program of Road Safety Research Services for Motorcycle Rider Safety. Funding for this research originated from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission. This program of research was undertaken to produce knowledge to assist TMR to improve motorcycle safety by further strengthening the licensing and training system to make learner riders safer by developing a pre-learner package (Deliverable 1 which is the focus of this report), and by evaluating the Q-Ride CAP program to ensure that it is maximally effective and contributes to the best possible training for new riders (Deliverable 2), which is the focus of this report. Deliverable 3 of the program identified potential new licensing components that will reduce the incidence of risky riding and improve higher-order cognitive skills in new riders. While fatality and injury rates for learner car drivers are typically lower than for those with intermediate licences, this pattern is not found for learner motorcycle riders. Learner riders cannot be supervised as effectively as learner car drivers and errors are more likely to result in injury for learner riders than learner drivers. It is therefore imperative to improve safety for learner riders. Deliverable 1 examines the potential for improving the motorcycle learner and licence scheme by introducing a pre-learner motorcycle licensing and training scheme within Queensland. The tasks undertaken for Deliverable 1 were a literature review, analysis of learner motorcyclist crash and licensing data, and the development of a potential pre-learner motorcycle rider program