ABSTRACT
After defining big data and the huge potential that big data and analysis hold improving public policy the paper first considers the threat that big data and analysis (BDA) creates when personally identifiable information (PII) is part of these large datasets. The discussion then moves on to examine the role that BDA can play in improving the targeting of public policy and thus its effectiveness and equity with of course the deep potential conflict that this faces when PPI is part of the data being analyzed. The paper goes on to examine ways in which BDA can contribute to streamlining and improving each step of the public policy process. Equally important an associated discussion examining the concept of continuous evaluation of all steps of the policy process that social media and related big data make possible. Finally, the paper examines in some detail the role big data is and can play in the future of regional economic development policy.
