ADDRESSING THE LACK OF OPEN DATA IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Policy brief, December 2021.
Authors: Emina Kuhinja and Haris Ćutahija
Open data refers to public sector information or government data that can be readily andwidely accessed and reused1. This data must be available at no more than a reasonablereproduction cost, mainly available for download over the internet, in a convenient andmodifiable form. Main reason behind is interoperability – the ability of diverse systems andorganizations to work together, allowing for different components to intermix2. Openingof public data represents a phase in the development of an idea of public administrationtransparency, an idea which contributes to the society as a whole. Publishing public datacontributes to transparency of public institutions, work efficiency of public administration,as well as to higher involvement of citizens in decision-making processes. By makinggovernments more transparent, open data can provide clear information on how publicmoney is being spent and how different policies are being implemented. Publicly availabledata can contribute to informing individuals on relevant state matters and contribute toopinion forming. With that, it can boost citizen participation in political life and promotesignificance of public consultations. Furthermore, open data allows citizens to obtainnecessary information without needing to directly contact public administration, resultingin higher efficiency and less workload for public institutions. This can also initiate a long-lasting cooperation among different agencies and institutions in the public sector. Sincethere is a growing need for open data policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the intent of thispolicy brief is to address this need, assess and analyze the current state in this regard, aswell as provide recommendations for further steps on the path towards opening data,relying on WeBER PAR Monitoring Reports for 2019/20203.
ENG: Addressing the Lack of Open Data in Bosnia and Herzegovina
