Open Data Hackathons and Open Innovation Policies: The Case of OpenTusk
研究了开放数据黑客马拉松作为开放创新工具如何促进区域生态系统中的协作与集体智慧，以意大利普利亚大区的OpenTusk案例展示了其对挖掘开放数据创业价值的积极作用。
ABSTRACT The paper aims to contribute to the debate on open data and public open innovation policies by focusing on hackathons as initiatives supporting value creation, innovation, and regional development. The paper refers to open data hackathons as a powerful open innovation tool to activate mechanisms of collaboration and collective intelligence within a regional ecosystem populated with data and a plurality of stakeholders. Despite the actuality of the issues and the large consensus around them, their integration in a consolidated theoretical framework is still far from a full achievement and requires additional contributions. Therefore, a theoretical framework has been developed for defining the research gap and addressing the development of an exploratory qualitative study carried out on OpenTusk, an open data hackathon promoted by the Department of Economic Development of the Apulia Region (south Italy) in the frame of a participatory public policy aimed at exploiting the value of regional open data. Findings demonstrate that the hackathon can create positive conditions for the preliminary exploration of the entrepreneurial value of open data by shaping several thematic areas of interest for the regional agenda of smart specialization. Furthermore, the case suggests that the effectiveness of an open data hackathon derives from an articulated strategy consisting of sensitization campaigns and preparation activities useful to stimulate the development of entrepreneurial ideas. Implications for theory and practice have been synthesized in the conclusion in terms of areas for future investigation and practical contexts of applications.