Oversharing: The downside of data sharing in local government

Abstract

Health crises, climate change, and technological hazards pose serious managerial and equity challenges for local governments. To effectively navigate the uncertainties and complexity, municipalities are increasingly collaborating with one another and sharing data and information to improve decision‐making. While data sharing fosters effectiveness in responding to threats, it also entails risks. One major concern is that local government managers often lack the knowledge and technical skills required for safe and effective data sharing, exposing municipalities to cyberthreats. Drawing on data sharing and cybersecurity scholarship, we investigate whether increased data sharing among local governments makes cities more or less vulnerable to cyberincidents. We test our hypotheses using data from two national surveys of U.S. local government managers conducted in 2016 and 2018. Our findings contribute to the literature on technology and risk in government by informing both public managers and researchers about the potential threats associated with data sharing.