Revisiting the open government phenomenon. A meta-analysis of the international literature

Abstract

The Open Government (OG) concept is maturing and moving toward its consolidation as a new field of multidisciplinary knowledge with its own dynamics. However, little is known about how it is developing that path, if it is really generating its own characteristics and what its scope is in terms of the creation of an academic community. This article conducts a systematic review or meta-evaluation of the literature on OG for 5 years (2011 to 2015) from the three magazines most recognized for their production and quality of content on the theme: Government Information Quarterly, Information Polity and eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government. This article analyzes 189 articles, classified into different categories that try to answer three research questions: How is the OG analyzed? (Study Design, Research Techniques, Methodological Approach) Where is the OG analyzed? (University Departments, Host Country of the Universities and Institutions, Level of Government, Analyzed Country/Areas) What are the most analyzed topics and the most prominent concepts in the study of OG? (Main Topic, Keywords). Article data reveal the key features of OG analysis: few quantitative and explicative-correlational studies, a strong focus on the countries of the Anglo-American area, and very diverse interests ranging from open data, e-government and social media to co-production. In addition, it can be established to what extent a scientific community around OG has been created. Some conclusions about the development of OG in coming years are made.