Multi-criteria decision making in evaluation of open government data indicators: An application in G20 countries

Open data has a large means of identifying commonly reachable information on different platforms. One of the open data sources is open government data. The goals of open governments are about building transparency, accountability and participation to strengthen governance and inform citizens. The aim of this study is twofold: (ⅰ) to propose a reliable decision-making tool for dealing with real-life problems and (ⅱ) to demonstrate the practicality of the proposed model through a case study of its ranking with an open government data indicator for G20 countries. This study proposes a multi-criteria methodology that evaluates open data management systems used in e-government development. First, a set of evaluation criteria is established that cover the indicators used in the Global Open Data Index. Second, weights from the Logarithm Methodology of Additive Weights (LMAW) and Logarithmic Percentage Change-driven Objective Weighting (LOPCOW) methods were combined with the Bayesian approach to determine the weights of these criteria. Finally, the Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) method was used to obtain the ranking results. The novelties of the study lie in the combination of objective and subjective weighting methods, both in determining the ranking of G20 countries with open government data indicators and in deciding the importance levels of the criteria used. The "air quality" and "procurement" criteria are the top two criteria, with weights of 0, 1378 and 0, 1254 respectively. The findings also show that Australia is the best performer, while the United Kingdom is the second best performing. Comprehensive sensitivity analysis verifies the validity, robustness and effectiveness of the proposed framework. According to research findings and analysis, the methodology applied has the potential to assist policymakers and decision-makers in the process of modernization of existing public services in terms of open data and the opportunities it presents.