Improving Governance with Data: Building Data Collaboratives for the 100 Questions Governance Domain
By Uma Kalkar and Stefaan Verhulst
Data-driven action is essential for grounded, legitimate, and effective decision-making. Several governments across the world have embraced data to tackle increasingly complex problems and retain public trust in institutions and quell inefficiencies and corruption. However, for data to support governance meaningfully and responsibly there is a need to understand the core questions and priorities at the center of governance-related policymaking so as to promote inclusive and efficient approaches.
Toward that end, last year, the Governance Lab (The GovLab) at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, The Asia Foundation, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Indonesia, and the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development in Bangladesh launched the “Governance” domain of The 100 Questions Initiative. Governance is the seventh field of the 100 Questions Initiative, which has previously explored question-driven policy-making for Gender, Air Quality, Future of Work, Disinformation, Migration, and Food Systems Sustainability.
This project sought to shift away from the supply-driven use of data in policymaking, which bases policy action on preconceived assumptions of data’s utility without adequate reflection on the questions that are critical to answer with data. After working with over 134 global ‘bilinguals’ — experts who possess both governance and data science expertise–across academic, business, government, non-profit, and research sectors, the Governance Domain released the top-ten most pressing questions facing governance that could be answered with data.
Today, we released the final report outlining the findings and steps taken across the Governance domain.
- The report first contains an in-depth overview of the initial topic mapping, which pinpointed three issue areas–transparency and accountability; efficiency and effectiveness; and inclusion and participation — and provided a literature scan of prevailing stances.
- Next, it details how the domain applied the methodology of the 100 Questions Initiative.
- It subsequently provides a full list of the initial 122 questions sourced from the bilinguals, which were clustered and grouped to form the top ten questions released earlier.
- The report also includes a full list of the experts consulted.
Identifying these questions is only one part of the process. If your organization is interested in taking part in the next step — i.e. building actionable, efficient data collaboratives to advance the use of data in governance policy-making, contact Stefaan Verhulst, lead of the initiative at sverhulst@thegovlab.org.
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About the 100 Questions Initiative
The 100 Questions Initiative is presented by The Governance Lab at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering with initial funding support from Schmidt Futures. It is supported by a global advisory board comprising data science and subject matter experts from the public, corporate, and non-profit sectors. Members include Ciro Cattuto, scientific director of ISI Foundation; Gabriella Gómez-Mont, founder and former director at Laboratorio Para La Ciudad; Molly Jackman, leader of Content-Product Data Science and Engineering at Netflix; Vivienne Ming, founder of Socos Labs; Wilfred Ndifon, director of research at AIMS Global Network; Denice Ross, fellow at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation; and Matthew Salganik, professor of sociology at Princeton University. For more information, visit the100questions.org or https://the100questions.org/faq.
About The Governance Lab at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering
The Governance Lab’s mission is to improve people’s lives by changing the way we govern. Our goal at The GovLab is to strengthen the ability of institutions — including but not limited to governments — and people to work more openly, collaboratively, effectively, and legitimately to make better decisions and solve public problems. We believe that increased availability and use of data, new ways to leverage the capacity, intelligence, and expertise of people in the problem-solving process, combined with new advances in technology and science, can transform governance. We approach each challenge and opportunity in an interdisciplinary, collaborative way, irrespective of the problem, sector, geography, and level of government. For more information, visit www.thegovlab.org.
About The Asia Foundation
The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Informed by six decades of experience and deep local expertise, our work across the region addresses five overarching goals — strengthen governance, empower women, expand economic opportunity, increase environmental resilience, and promote international cooperation. Headquartered in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation works through a network of offices in 18 Asian countries and in Washington, DC. Learn more at asiafoundation.org.
About the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia
The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta is an independent, non-profit organization focusing on policy-oriented studies on domestic and international issues. CSIS’ mission is to contribute to improved policy making through policy-oriented research, dialogue, and public debate. This is based on the belief that long-term planning and vision for Indonesia and the region must be based on an in-depth understanding of economic, political, and social issues, including regional and international developments. CSIS research and studies are channeled in various forms as independent input to government, universities and research institutions, civil society organizations, media, and business.
About the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development
The BRAC Institute of Governance and Development aims to influence policy and practice using rigorous research and by building fit-for-future capabilities through quality educational programs. BIGD works on rigorous, multimethod research through the dual lens of governance and development, in order to address policy problems and implementation challenges, and to promote innovation and improvement in governance and development processes.
About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering
The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly). A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within NYU, one of the country’s foremost private research universities, and is closely connected to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates Future Labs focused on start-up businesses in downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit www.engineering.nyu.edu.
