Abstract
Presenting her recently completed doctoral research (2024), from the University of Glasgow’s Sociology department, Lucille Tetley-Brown shares insights about ‘data work culture’ at local government level. This culture focuses on varied data uses, differentiating between preparatory and substantive data work, for reporting or intelligence, to interrogate expectations of data and its role in public service/s delivery.
By focusing on varied data uses, alongside the varied users thereof (as governmental ‘data professionals’), Lucille’s research addresses the underattended to concept of data itself within e-Government. She applies a relational ontology that shows how data work is intrinsically entwined with those who make and / or interpret data and seek to apply data-derived findings to achieve the goal of better government.
The research seminar will define six expectations from data – ‘the Promise’ – to help achieve public service/s delivery transformation. Additionally, Lucille articulates the actual data use practices within local government, from her empirical work across three of the largest municipal areas in Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh and North Lanarkshire). Her research is supported by a predominately qualitative analysis from fifty-five research interviews, complimented by a short survey, and extensive policy review.
Overall, the thesis argument highlights an oversight of the vital interpretative, translating effort by internal service specialists, who speak for the data they seek to utilise in their digital government transformation efforts, and do so in normative, political contexts. The seminar will offer recommendations for practitioners, in the form of three critical lessons and five actions to strengthen data work culture across the full public service delivery ecosystem.
Biography
She´s an economic and social sciences data-use specialist and qualified sustainability professional, spanning local and global expertise.
She has extensive experience in applied sustainability (economic, environmental, social, institutional) across a multitude of sectors. Lucille's primary specialism covers data-driven public service delivery and smart cities, with her recent practitioner and research focus on digital transformation at the local government level.
She has published across a range of topics related to sustainability and data use in smart cities. In addition, she held a policy support role for the Scottish Government within their Digital Directorate (2022-23), a researcher post for Dundee University (2023-24), and provides consultancy to the United Nations University EGOV Unit in Portugal (2020-24, various contracts).
Lucille has worked in various roles, sitting on many advisory boards and expert panels across multiple initiatives, such as Scotland Universities Insight Institute's 'Valuing Public Sector Data in Scotland and Europe' workshop and conference series (2023-24); Metrolab, the global ecosystem of researchers and innovative local government leaders (2019); University of Stirling, for the SmartGov Programme, comparative research in three case study cities (Glasgow UK, Utrecht Netherlands, Curitiba Brazil) assessing ICTs’ value engaging citizens in sustainable cities' governance (2017-2019); Scottish Cities Alliance Smart and Low Carbon Programme (2014-2017); and, the Open and Agile Smart Cities Network (2015-2022).
Additionally, she is a qualified advanced education instructor (DAT-HE, 2021) and has delivered training on: e.g. data-driven public service delivery, smart city projects, data practices - covering open, safe-guarded, controlled data and in alignment to GDPR requirements. Lucille is skilled in translating complex conceptual and scientific ideas to practice, then working with policy-makers and implementers across legal and policy ecosystems to increase local level capability in delivery of strategic intentions.
Lucille has a Ph.D. in ‘Data Use Promises and Practices: Exploring Scottish local government data work culture’ from the University of Glasgow in Scotland, U.K., within the Sociology department. She holds an MSc in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science from Sweden’s Lund University and a law degree from the University of Oxford in the U.K.
