A Review of Maturity Frameworks for Data Driven Socio-Demographic Policy Management

Abstract

This paper reviews maturity and readiness frameworks that can inform data-driven socio-demographic policy management in the Republic of Moldova. The review is motivated by Moldova's demographic decline, population ageing, migration, labour-market pressures and growing demand for social services, all of which require more anticipatory and evidence-informed policy processes. Although governments now produce and store increasing volumes of statistical, administrative and digital data, data availability does not by itself improve policy decisions. The paper examines selected frameworks from data governance, open data, digital government, artificial intelligence readiness and data-driven decision-making, including OECD, World Bank, Global Data Barometer, Open Data Maturity, DAMA/IBM-type models, DECAS and evidence-informed policymaking approaches. The review shows that these frameworks offer useful building blocks, such as data stewardship, data quality, interoperability, openness, leadership, analytical capacity, ethical safeguards and user orientation. However, most remain partial: some focus on data assets, some on digital readiness, others on openness or AI preparedness, while few assess how evidence is used across the full socio-demographic policy cycle. The paper concludes that future research should develop and empirically test an integrated maturity framework that links technical, institutional, ethical and policy-cycle dimensions before it is used as a diagnostic instrument for public institutions. UDC: 005.311:314.02(478); JEL: H83, J11, O33