Unveiling the Mechanisms Behind Open Government Data Use: The Interplay of Internal Resources and Institutional Pressures

This paper explores the use of open government data (OGD) from both resource-based and institutional theoretical perspectives to understand how internal capabilities and external environmental pressures influence its effective utilization. Despite global efforts to harness OGD for societal benefits, its true utility is hindered by both the suboptimal deployment of resources within governments and inadequate responsiveness to external demands and regulatory frameworks. The study integrates resource-based theory, which emphasizes the strategic management of valuable, rare, and hard-to-imitate resources, with institutional theory, which accounts for external pressures such as regulatory, normative, and mimetic influences that shape organizational behavior and policy. This dual approach highlights the necessity of aligning internal resource management with external environmental conditions to enhance OGD’s accessibility, usability, and overall impact. The paper argues that for OGD to reach its full potential, governments must not only improve data accessibility and promote data literacy but also align their data management strategies with broader societal and institutional demands. By examining the interaction between supply and demand, the research identifies strategic insights for policymakers to foster more effective governance and public engagement with open data.