Affiliations: [a] School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University,
Phoenix, AZ, USA | [b] College of Public Programs, Arizona State University,
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Kevin C. Desouza, School of Public
Affairs, Associate Dean for Research, College of Public Programs, Interim
Director, Decision Theater, Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development, Arizona
State University, 411 N. Central Ave. Mail Code 3520, Suite #750, Phoenix,
AZ 85004-0685, USA. Tel.: + 1 206 859 0091; E-mail: kev.desouza@gmail.com
Abstract: Public agencies are investing significant resources in big data
analytics to mine valuable information, predict future outcomes, and make
data-driven decisions. In order to foster a strong understanding of the
opportunities and challenges associated with the adoption of big data analytics
in the public sphere, we analyze various efforts undertaken by the United
States Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA, which is commonly
referred to as the "face of the government", collects, manages, and curates
large volumes of data to provide Social Security services to US citizens and
beneficiaries living abroad. The agency has made great strides in the
burgeoning big data space to improve administration and delivery of services.
This has included: (1) improving its arcane legacy system, (2) developing
employee and end-user capability, (3) implementing data management strategies
and organizational architecture, (4) managing security and privacy issues, and
(5) advocating for increased investment in big data analytics. Despite these
efforts, the SSA is still in the early stages of developing capability in the
domain of big data analytics. By outlining challenges and opportunities facing
the SSA, we discuss policy implications and explore issues to consider when
public agencies begin to develop their capacity to analyze big data.
Keywords: Big data, social security administration, data governance, innovation, information technologies, information systems, transparency
