The Rationalization of Digital Governance: Interpreting the Shift from Fragmented to Unified Open Data Portals in Local Government.

Abstract

The adoption of Open Government Data (OGD) by local governments is crucial for enhancing public sector transparency and accountability, principles central to United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). This study undertakes a rigorous analysis of OGD initiatives, using the two available United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) assessment results, 2022 and 2024, using a mixed-method approach to interpret the evolution of digital governance. The research first com-bines two distinct quantitative data sources: the external expert assessments from the Local Online Services Index (LOSI), which measures policy commitment, and a longitudinal analysis of official self-assessment data from the Local Government Questionnaire (LGQ), which quantifies infrastructural fragmentation. This is complemented by a deep-dive into ten global cases, selected for their di-verse governance structures and histories of fragmented data release. The key results reveal a synchronized trend toward maturity. The LOSI assessment indicated a modest, sustained rise in OGD policy commitment (from 31% to 33%) and active data sharing (from 35% to 37%). Simultaneously, the LGQ survey, track-ing a fixed panel of 20 cities, documented a measurable reduction in infrastructure-al fragmentation. The number of cities providing multiple OGD portal URLs fell from 40% (8 cities) in 2022 to 30% (6 cities) in 2024. This decline is interpreted not as infrastructural contraction, but as a strategic and mature move toward plat-form consolidation. This rationalization is essential for developing a coherent urban data ecosystem by enhancing data governance and resource efficiency, ultimately improving data discoverability for smart city applications.