Utrecht: 13 February 2001

The Netherlands Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in 2000 commissioned Berenschot to study, in cooperation with the Netherlands Economics Institute (NEI), the effect on wealth of various forms of financing access to electronic databanks.

The final reports and supporting documents related to the study have been brought together here.

Note:

In 2002, NEI transferred all its activities to its parent company ECORYS Nederland BV. Since that time, ECORYS Netherlands, instead of NEI BV, is also the contracting party for new assignments.

Main Report

Dutch

Eindrapport welvaartseffecten van verschillende financieringsmethoden van elektronische Gegevensbestanden

English

Final report on the wealth effects of different methods of financing electronic databanks

Utrecht, 7 February 2001, 100 pages

Authors

J.L. van Deemter, MBA (pl.) J.E.M. Huige M.G.J. Bruning R.C. Krommenhoek

R. van Nes Dr P. Goyal-Rutsaert R. André de la Porte

Annexes

Dutch

Bijlageboek bij rapport welvaartseffecten van verschillende financieringsmethoden voor opbouw en beheer van elektronische gegevensbestanden van de overheid

Utrecht, 13 februari 2001, 154 pages

English

Annexes to the report on the wealth effects of different methods of financing the development and management of public sector electronic databases

Utrecht, 13 February 2001, 149 pages.

Authors

J.L. van Deemter, MBA (pl.) Drs. J.E.M. Huige Drs. M.G.J. Bruning Mevr. drs. R.C. Krommenhoek

Drs. R. van Nes Mevr. dr. P. Goyal-Rutsaert R. André de la Porte

Overview Tables

Dutch (13 pages)

English (17 pages)

Introduction copied from the executive summary

"Over a 6-month period Berenschot, in cooperation with NEI, has made an extensive study of the consequences of opening up access to public sector electronic databanks.

The starting point of our study was the Ministry’s aim that public sector information should be accessible as broadly and easily as possible and at the lowest possible cost for those wishing to make use of this information. In this study we have focused on determining how various forms of pricing would affect the accessibility of public sector databanks. We have examined the consequences of these forms of pricing to determine their effect on wealth in qualitative and quantitative terms. In addition, we have examined how various policies have been put into practice. In this connection we have paid particular attention to the advisory report of the Social and Economic Council (SER) and the Directions issued by the Prime Minister on public sector involvement in commercial activities.

The hypothesis underlying this study was:

Providing open access to (electronic) public sector databanks boosts wealth.

The study concerned the following four databanks:

• the Rotterdam Large-scale Base Map (GBKR) of the Municipality of Rotterdam;

• he Current Elevation Model of the Netherlands (AHN) of the Survey Department of the Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management;

• the Top-10 Vector Databank (TVB) of the Netherlands Topographical Agency;

• the General Databank of Legislation and Regulations (ADW) of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

In the final report we have described on a case-by-case basis the main effects of the various pricing scenarios (zero price, marginal cost price and full cost price). A more detailed description of the cases is given in the annexes to this report. In studying the cases we have, where possible, taken a broader perspective and tried to identify more general characteristics of the cases in order to be able to make pronouncements of more universal validity."