Stewarding of Open Government Data - A Versatile Task Requiring a Versatile Role

As the governance of open government data (OGD) evolves, increasingly fine-grained roles have emerged. In Germany, however, a broader role is gaining prominence, that consolidates responsibility areas typically treated separately in academic research. This paper pursues two aims: first, to investigate whether similarly wide-ranging roles exist internationally and what characterizes them; second, to explore how such roles relate to the concept of OGD stewardship. To this end, we draw on literature on data stewardship from the OGD domain, research data management, and the private sector. We then conduct a content analysis of seven role descriptions from OGD-providing organizations across four German- and English-speaking countries. Our analysis identifies recurring clusters of responsibility, particularly around data publication, internal coordination, compliance, and acting as a central point of contact. While most responsibilities focus on internal processes, some roles also address external engagement with communities and peer institutions. Our findings suggest that such roles may be especially valuable in early stages of OGD implementation, where institutional barriers are prevalent. The combination of strategic and operational responsibilities aligns with an extended understanding of stewardship in the OGD context. The paper concludes by calling for a clearer conceptualization of OGD stewardship and further empirical research into how roles enacting it evolve and are operationalized across institutional contexts.