The Political Economy of Federally Sponsored Data

Abstract

Librarian involvement in the Open Access (OA) movement has traditionally focused on access to scholarly publications. Recent ac- tions by the White House have focused at- tention on access on the data produced from federally sponsored research. Questions have emerged concerning access to the out- put of federally sponsored research and whether it is a public or private good. Under- standing the political battle over access to federally funded research is closely tied to the ownership of the peer review process in higher education and associated revenue streams, and as a result, interest groups seeking to influence government regulation have politicized the issues. As a major fun- der of research in higher education, policies from the federal government are likely to drive change in research practices at higher- education institutions and impact library ser- vices. The political economy of federally sponsored research data will shape research enterprises in higher education and inspire a number of new services distributed through- out the research life cycle.