(Open) Data Stewardship in the Public Sector: Evidence from a Survey of Slovenian Public Administration

Authors

Tina Jukić
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Public Administration
Sanja Vrbek
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Public Administration
Damijana Keržič
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Public Administration

Synopsis

In the context of digital transformation and open government data initiatives, data have become a key strategic resource of contemporary public administration. Based on an online survey, this paper examines how (open) data stewardship is organised in Slovenian public administration. The findings show that data stewardship is present but weakly institutionalised. It is most often performed as an additional task rather than as a formal organisational role. Respondents primarily carry out operational tasks related to data collection, verification and user support, while more strategic responsibilities remain less developed. The results also reveal considerable training needs, particularly in areas such as legal compliance, data quality standards and mechanisms for opening data. This study provides empirical insights into organisational practices and capacity gaps relating to data stewardship in public administration.

Author Biographies

Tina Jukić, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Public Administration

Tina Jukić is an Associate Professor in the field of Informatics in Public Administration at the Faculty of Public Administration, University of Ljubljana. Her research focuses on various aspects of the digital transformation of the public sector, with particular emphasis in recent years on technologies supporting co-creation with public service users and on open public sector data. She has led and participated in numerous national and international research projects and regularly presents and publishes the results of her research at reputable national and international conferences and in scientific journals. 

Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail: tina.jukic@fu.un-lj.si

Sanja Vrbek, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Public Administration

Sanja Vrbek is an Assistant Professor in the field of Public Administration at the Faculty of Public Administration, University of Ljubljana. Her research focuses on co-creation and innovative practices in the public sector, with particular emphasis on digital solutions that support collaboration between public organisations and their stakeholders. She actively participates in several national and international research projects, including projects addressing the impact of digitalisation and organisational change in public administration and the development of innovative tools for co-creation. She regularly presents the results of her research at scientific and professional conferences and publishes in national and international academic publications.

Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail: sanja.vrbek@fu.uni-lj.si

Damijana Keržič, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Public Administration

Damijana Keržič is an Assistant Professor of Informatics in Public Administration at the Faculty of Public Administration, University of Ljubljana. She received her PhD in Social Informatics from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, in 2022. In her doctoral dissertation, she focused on learning analytics in blended learning in higher education. Her research interests include e-learning, educational data mining, and educational technologies in higher education. She regularly participates in various research projects related to the digitalisation of the learning process. Her work has been published in professional and scientific articles and presented at numerous academic and professional conferences.

Ljubljana, Slovenia. E-mail: damijana.kerzic@fu.uni-lj.si

Published

June 5, 2026

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Jukić, T., Vrbek, S., & Keržič, D. (2026). (Open) Data Stewardship in the Public Sector: Evidence from a Survey of Slovenian Public Administration. In D. Vidmar, A. Pucihar, M. Kljajić Borštnar, R. W. H. Bons, M. Glowatz, & H.-D. Zimmermann (Eds.), & (Ed.), 39th Bled eConference: Co-Creating Human-Centred and Responsible Digital Futures; Conference Proceedings (Vols. 39., pp. 587-600). University of Maribor Press. https://press.um.si/index.php/ump/catalog/book/1128/chapter/1204