Information-Sharing Dilemmas in Public Services: Using Frameworks from Risk Management

Sharing citizens' personal information is critical to the British government's commitments in public service reform. However, anxieties about the 'surveillance society' and large-scale data losses have undermined trust in public services' respect for confidentiality. The authors draw on their research to demonstrate the inadequacy of the current emphasis on formal regulatory instruments to guide public services in coping with dilemmas posed by these rival imperatives. They call instead for the development of self-confidence and skills in the exercise of professional judgement, and demonstrate the value of an heuristic framework drawn from risk analysis and management.