Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The rise of big data has presented both threats and opportunities for public policy and administration. Drawing from past experience and the related literature of technological innovation and administrative reforms, it is unlikely that big data and its related technologies are going to affect countries and institutions in a similar manner as technological innovation and organizational change is often an endogenous process. To lay down the theoretical framework for further examination, this paper aims to identify and discuss the meditating factors which account for these differences. The paper would draw on two critical cases in the Asian context: Singapore and Hong Kong. As Singapore represents a more advanced case while Hong Kong is still making its progress in big data, they should serve well in identifying the critical factors of the contrasting outcomes.