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Effective Practices for Interagency Data Sharing: Insights from Collaborative Research in a Regional Intervention
Author(s) -
McGuirk Pauline M.,
O'Neill Phillip M.,
Mee Kathleen J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
australian journal of public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-8500
pISSN - 0313-6647
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8500.12098
Subject(s) - general partnership , data sharing , corporate governance , agency (philosophy) , public relations , collaborative governance , best practice , intervention (counseling) , business , extant taxon , data governance , knowledge management , political science , public administration , sociology , computer science , data quality , finance , psychology , marketing , social science , metric (unit) , evolutionary biology , psychiatry , law , biology , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Data sharing adds considerable value to interagency programs that seek to tackle complex social problems. Yet data sharing is not easily enacted either technically or as a governance practice, especially considering the multiple forms of risk involved. This article presents insights from a successful data sharing project in a major region in east coast Australia involving a federally funded research partnership between two universities and a number of human services agencies. The Spatial Data Analysis Project sought to establish a community of practice for devising data sharing protocols and embedding data sharing into agency practices. Close dialogue between the project partners and mobilizing the authority of extant regulatory and legal frameworks proved effective in confronting risks and barriers. The article reveals effective practices for data sharing and derives lessons for other policy and governance contexts.