Joint data platforms as X factor for efficiency gains in the public sector?

Data analytics and interoperability have become pivotal issues for the creation of new public services. Furthermore, new informational technological (IT) solutions influence organisational boundaries and can become drivers of centralization or decentralization alike. In this article we argue that increasing capacity for data analytics and data use (e.g., through joint platforms) engender a new form of coordination in the public sector – machine to machine coordination. We seek to answer whether such coordination practices based on interoperable data platforms also introduce efficiency gains to the public sector? In this working paper we connect these three interrelated topics: first, how joint data platforms affect inter-organisational information sharing (i.e. collaborative service provision); second, if and how efficiency gains can be achieved by these collaborative initiatives; and lastly, how organisations and governance change in the public sector through the implementation of these initiatives. To exemplify this research puzzle, the case of the Estonian data exchange platform, X-road is examined.