The impact of crowdsourcing outcomes on decision-making: the case of the digital initiative “Frena La Curva”

Crowdsourcing has gained attention in every realm, including the public sector, which got interested in how the participatory tool can increase public values, especially with the interactive potential of digital platforms. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of implementing the crowdsourcing process, but not much focus is on the outcomes. Moreover, with the increase in evidence-based policymaking, a few studies have been conducted on the impact of crowdsourcing data. This thesis intends to answer the question of how crowdsourcing outcomes can impact decision-making. The case of Frena La Curva (FLC) in Spain during Covid- 19 was studied, which has positively impacted the policy-making process. The approach of this thesis is qualitative, using semi-structured interviews to delve into the experiences of public employees and volunteers involved in the platform. The results show benefits for the public administration in implementing crowdsourcing. The significant benefits...Show moreCrowdsourcing has gained attention in every realm, including the public sector, which got interested in how the participatory tool can increase public values, especially with the interactive potential of digital platforms. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of implementing the crowdsourcing process, but not much focus is on the outcomes. Moreover, with the increase in evidence-based policymaking, a few studies have been conducted on the impact of crowdsourcing data. This thesis intends to answer the question of how crowdsourcing outcomes can impact decision-making. The case of Frena La Curva (FLC) in Spain during Covid- 19 was studied, which has positively impacted the policy-making process. The approach of this thesis is qualitative, using semi-structured interviews to delve into the experiences of public employees and volunteers involved in the platform. The results show benefits for the public administration in implementing crowdsourcing. The significant benefits that crowdsourcing can apport to the decision- making process are the openness of participation, speedy action by the public administration, and the re- calibration of the policy tools. The technological infrastructure of FLC has allowed to gather an enormous number of outcomes which allowed policymakers to make swifter decisions in some cases. However, the technological dependency on crowdsourcing represents a challenge for the public sector, which might want to cooperate with the private sector. Moreover, depending on the nature of the evidence, crowdsourcing can have a different impact on tool calibration and tool changes in the policy process. The situation of the crisis has also had an effect on the emergence of FLC, which was favored by the pandemic. The contribution of this study is essential as it sparks light on a field that has been investigated less. Further research may investigate the replicability of the case of FLC as well as test the impact of outcomes in other crowdsourcing initiatives.Show less

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The impact of crowdsourcing outcomes on decision-making: the case of the digital initiative “Frena La Curva”