Big data and policy making

Big data has the potential to advance collective decision-making processes. For example, data mining has become increasingly popular to obtain a better understanding of what is relevant to the public. Furthermore, sentiment analysis evaluates public opinion and can be applied to monitor and assess the effectiveness of policies.

However, it can also be challenging to use innovative data-driven approaches for policy making. Having more data doesn’t necessarily lead to more actionable insights, and the complex skill sets required for big data analytics pose a particularly acute challenge.

EurActiv.com organised a stakeholder workshop, with the support of SSIX, to discuss:
– What are the promises and limitations of big data for policy making?
– How can data mining be used to develop a better-informed policy?
– What challenges have to be considered with an innovative data-driven policy approach?
– Do policymakers provide adequate legislation for the rising need of data processing?

Deputy Director Guido Lobrano participated in Euractiv’s “Big Data & Policy making” debate on 18 October 2016.