There are many common elements to the spread of Open Government Data (OGD) initiatives across the world. Data portals, app competitions, an emphasis on technical standards, and increasingly a focus on data visualisation. Yet, underlying these commonalities are substantial differences. From an emphasis on open data fuelling technology start-ups in the USA or Kenya, to a focus on fighting corruption and building greater solidarity between citizens and state in the Philippines government figures have at various points articulated a range of different narratives for their open data programs. This paper examines how far those differing policy narratives are reflected in the design of each open data initiative, and how far the open data interventions that countries have adopted are congruent with the theories of change for open data that have been articulated in policy documents and political speeches.
