Understanding and Enhancing Information Use in the Public Sector: Insights from Politicians and Public Employees

My thesis explores the use of information in the public sector, focusing on how it is used and how this use could be incentivized. Information, understood as data transformed through appropriate dissemination and interpretation, is crucial for enhancing public organizations’ efficiency, facilitating interdepartmental collaboration, and strengthening strategic planning. However, the use of information in the public sector is often complex, shaped by contextual and ideological factors and the need to achieve personal and party goals. The literature reveals that politicians tend to use information to a limited extent and selectively, often prioritizing personal or party interests over the effectiveness of public policies. Through four distinct studies, the thesis examines the information use behavior of two key public sector groups: politicians and public employees. The first three articles are based on interviews with regional Italian politicians. The first one explores the types of information used and how socio-demographic and political roles shape preferences about the types and the features of information. The second article analyses the different ways information is employed for decision-making or political strategy, observing differences among politicians with different roles. The third article delves into how politicians use information by examining the process that links data to final decisions and politicians’ approach to information. It also explores how complex and conflictual contexts affect the use of information. The fourth article shifts the focus to public employees, examining if Business Analytics (BA) tools can improve the use of information in the public sector. Through a laboratory experiment with public employees from the Sardinia Regional Government, the study assesses whether BA dashboards enhance decision-making compared to traditional reports. In conclusion, this thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of information use in the public sector, emphasizing how political dynamics and politicians’ characteristics and roles influence which information is utilized, how it is used and how new technologies can improve these processes.