Investigating Digital (Dis)engagement of Open Government: Case Study of One Data Indonesia

Abstract

Over the last decade, Indonesia has achieved remarkable progress in promoting transparent and
inclusive development through implementing open government principles. This research investigates
one of the open government projects in Indonesia- One Data Indonesia (ODI), a one-stop open
government data portal that provides accurate, reliable, and interoperable single-reference data
for the public to use and redistribute without any limitation. The study aims to highlight the
current updates on open data implementation in Indonesia and the challenges that may hinder its
application in future. The study is an action research, conducted through the participation of the
author in a three-month internship programme at the Executive Office of the President Republic of
Indonesia. Data on the portal’s engagement was based on Google Analytics. This study finds that
there is disengagement in open data implementation, which is reflected by a small percentage of
available datasets and an imbalance in user access across Indonesia. This study argues that the
disengagement is due to several factors, including irrelevant and uncertain regulatory frameworks,
confusion over setting priority goals, inadequate data infrastructure, and limited digital-literate
human resource. Despite high investment and expectations from the portal, the benefits and civic
engagement it has generated so far remain questionable.