Cross‐Domain Information Integration in Government: Hierarchies and Responsibilities

Abstract

ABSTRACTCross‐domain integration of information is increasingly identified as a priority across public sector contexts because (in theory) it enables the use of more information, including information from groups and communities historically excluded from public sector decision making. In this paper, we reject the tendency to take ‘integration’ for granted, arguing the need to position cross‐domain integration as an information practice, and conducting mixed methods thematic analysis of government strategic documents to validate the utility of this approach. We find that depending on the type of information proposed to be integrated — digital data versus the knowledge of peoples and communities — our sample of Canadian government institutions treats cross‐domain integration with differing levels of procedural rigour and detail. Reflecting ASIS&T 2024 themes of prioritizing responsibility and reflexivity in information practice, and of cultivating community partnerships through practice, not merely in name, we discuss the information hierarchies that emerge in the cross‐domain information integration in government and the associated impacts on stakeholder communities.