Exploring the Politics of US Public-Sector Data Access via Federal Statistical Research Data Centers

• In Event: 30416 - The Culture and Politics of Emerging Technology

Abstract

Congress has repeatedly introduced legislation in the U.S. purportedly to democratize access to public-sector data. But in the face of legal and reputational uncertainty, efforts to streamline these statistical infrastructures may undermine the scientific work they support. In this project, we consider U.S. Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (RDCs), which are secure enclaves that offer access to sensitive data from multiple government agencies. A network of RDCs operates across the country, enabling researchers to apply for access and conduct multi-year analyses. Despite attempts to modernize the RDC system, the application process is notoriously painful, and research conducted in the RDCs gets stalled for numerous bureaucratic reasons.

Through interviews and analysis of public meetings, documents, and research proposals, we explore how knowledge production is affected by efforts to reconfigure the RDC system. We find that: 1) navigating legal mandates across different agencies poses significant challenges; painful bureaucratic processes are used to manage risk and visibility; and 2) access to RDCs are co-produced with fraught notions of scientific merit and expertise; and 3) relationships and status networks shape not just access to data, but data work itself. We then highlight how efforts to democratize access glaze over these dynamics in different ways. In attempting to repair the seemingly-broken RDC system, open-data initiatives may threaten the very goal of expanding knowledge production via public-sector infrastructure.

Authors

• Jayshree Sarathy, Northeastern University

• Danah Boyd, Cornell University