Abstract:

This study aims to investigate the extent to which Open Government Data (OGD) practices as a part of local services provided by metropolitan municipalities in Turkey. Supporting local authorities in terms of the OGD practices in the United States in 2009 has caused significant change not only in local governments of the United States but also in various municipalities all over the world. These caused further debate about the contents of data that has been disclosed by local authorities. Although the debate about the transparency, participation, and collaboration between the municipalities and society kept the interest alive for the OGD practices, there is not much to say for Turkey’s metropolitan municipalities. Currently, there are only four metropolitan municipalities consisting of Istanbul, Izmir, Balikesir, and Konya Metropolitan Municipalities that have open data portals. In that context, this study aims to take a closer look at the OGD applications in those municipalities. Results show that metropolitan municipalities suffer from providing insufficient quantity and quality of data. Municipalities are not aware of the relationship between the data formats and potential outcomes for society. Thus, limited data publishing policies are not causing better civic engagement between municipalities and locals. Thus, these disorganizations reduce the metropolitan municipalities’ transparency, participation, and accountability.

Keywords: