Administrative Risks to Data
Federal data face a set of administrative risks that are often more subtle than efforts that result in direct interference, discontinuation, or data erasure but are often more consequential in practice. These risks emerge from the day‑to‑day decisions, priorities, and resource constraints that shape how agencies steward information. Even when legal authorities to collect and publish data remain intact, administrative choices, such as shifting leadership priorities, reorganizing offices, or reallocating staff, can weaken data governance structures and reduce an agency’s capacity to maintain high‑quality, well‑documented, and publicly accessible datasets. Inconsistent implementation of government‑wide policies, uneven adoption of data standards, and gaps in internal oversight can compound these vulnerabilities, creating an environment where data integrity can degrade.
Some examples of administrative risks include budget reductions, hiring freezes, and contract eliminations. These can slow or halt essential data maintenance activities, from collection to metadata updates to system modernization. Agencies may also deprioritize their data programs, quality assurance routines, or public dissemination mandates when confronted with competing programmatic demands, shifting Administration priorities, or a lapse in resources needed to maintain their data assets. These pressures can lead to outdated systems, incomplete documentation, and diminished institutional memory - especially when key personnel depart without structured knowledge transfer. Over time, such administrative erosion can make it difficult for agencies to comply with open‑data requirements, respond to oversight inquiries, or support evidence‑building activities. (Bowen et al., 2025)
These administrative risks interact with, and are sometimes amplified by, legal mechanisms used by agencies to collect, use, maintain, and disseminate federal data such as the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) processes. This chapter reviews several administrative risks poised to open government data during 2025.
References
- Bowen, C. M. K., Citro, C., Crosby, M., Pierson, S., Potok, N., & Seeskin, Z. (2025). The Nation’s Data at Risk: 2025 Report. The American Statistical Association. https://www.amstat.org/policy-and-advocacy/the-nations-data-at-risk–2025-report