Does Open Government Data Alleviate the Burden on Government Employees? Evidence From a Quasi‐Experiment in China

ABSTRACT The digital transformation of public administration has prompted significant debates about its effects on government operational efficiency and employee workload management. This study examines the relationship between open government data initiatives and government employees' burden by utilizing satellite‐measured nighttime light intensity to capture nocturnal government overtime activities across 315 Chinese cities. Employing a difference‐in‐differences methodology, we compare cities that established big data management agencies since 2014 (treatment group) with other cities (control group). Our empirical findings demonstrate that open government data policy implementation reduced nighttime government overtime by 1.05% in pilot cities. Using lightning duration as an exogenous instrumental variable reveals that the true effect of open government data policy is substantially larger, with government nighttime overtime decreasing by 10.24%. Interview surveys indicate that efficiency improvement mechanisms operate through enhanced information management efficiency, reduced manual administrative tasks, and strengthened inter‐departmental coordination. Although our analysis identifies potential adverse effects—where increased public access to information generates higher citizen engagement that unexpectedly increases government employee workload—the positive impacts substantially outweigh the negative consequences. These findings contribute to the growing literature on digital government transformation and provide empirical evidence for policymakers seeking to optimize public sector efficiency through data‐driven governance reforms.