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Open Government Data and Smart Nation in Singapore

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Open Government and Freedom of Information

Part of the book series: Information Technology and Global Governance ((ITGG))

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Abstract

The government collects and maintains large quantities of data which has become a valuable asset for both citizens and businesses. Disclosing government data has been trendy given its significant role in holding the government accountable and contributing to socioeconomic development. Under the era of Industry 4.0, opening public sector data becomes even more critical in promoting innovation and competitiveness. Singapore started to digitalize public services in 1981. As part of its smart nation strategy, Singapore has made most public data available at data.gov.sg or other public bodies’ websites since 2011. Nevertheless, opening data practices seem not to be driven by public demand but rather decided by the government about what information to be disclosed. And Singapore has yet to have a law to secure the freedom of information though some citizens have called for the introduction of a Freedom of Information Act. This chapter first evaluates the progress of Singapore’s open government practices in the context of smart nation-building. Then, using data collected in the World Values Survey 2020, it examines whether the public is satisfied with open government practices and how it impacts citizen participation and public trust in Singapore.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://www.opengovpartnership.org/our-members/#national

  2. 2.

    https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/files/publications/smart-nation-strategy-nov2018.pdf

  3. 3.

    https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/about-smart-nation/transforming-singapore

  4. 4.

    https://www.smartnation.gov.sg/about-smart-nation/digital-government

  5. 5.

    https://foisg.wordpress.com/

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International University of Japan, Minamiuonuma, Japan

    Chengwei Xu

  2. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Chung-An Chen

Authors
  1. Chengwei Xu
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  2. Chung-An Chen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chengwei Xu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia

    Habib Zafarullah

  2. Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

    Noore Alam Siddiquee

Appendix

Appendix

Table 8.6 Variables and scale items
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Table 8.7 A descriptive analysis of trust in authorities (N = 2012)
Full size table

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Xu, C., Chen, CA. (2023). Open Government Data and Smart Nation in Singapore. In: Zafarullah, H., Siddiquee, N.A. (eds) Open Government and Freedom of Information. Information Technology and Global Governance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35863-0_8

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