Decentralisation in public sector data platforms

A pathway to enhancing public value

Bibliographic Data

ID19233459
AuthorsSara Thabit (0009-0005-6364-9477, Tallinn University of Technology, corresponding author), Till Degkwitz (0000-0002-0121-2588, HafenCity University Hamburg), Mahardika Fadmastuti (Tallinn University of Technology), Luca Mora (0000-0003-4680-6985, Tallinn University of Technology, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume43
Issue3
Pages102149
Publication date2026-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGovernment Information Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0740-624X • E-ISSN: 1872-9517
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.giq.2026.102149
OpenAlexW7163774392
LanguageEN
References cited71

Technology decentralisation is increasingly proposed as a key feature to build more trustworthy, accessible, and innovative digital public infrastructure, yet there is limited empirical knowledge of the actual benefits that such decentralised approaches would create from a public sector perspective. Furthermore, existing literature often relies on a linear dichotomy between data supply and demand that fails to capture the complexity of decentralised data ecosystems. This paper addresses these gaps by adopting an assemblage thinking perspective to conceptualise data platforms as complex socio-technical arrangements, and by developing a public values framework to broaden the understanding of the various outcome that data platforms can create. We apply this approach to an exploratory case study of Hamburg's Urban Data Platform (UDP). Our findings demonstrate that public value creation is not determined by technical decentralisation alone but by specific architecture-governance configurations. We illustrate that both decentral and central practices can co-occur within the same system, where the role of a leading orchestrator is crucial to drive public value creation

Decentralization · Economic sector · New public management · Public management · Public sector · E-Government and Public Services · Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social Development · Public Policy and Administration Research

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