Open Government Fostering Dialogue With Civil Society

This book examines how to build robust legal, institutional and policy frameworks for access to information, consultation and public participation in policy-making.

This book provides information on government performance in fostering open and inclusive policy making in 25 countries.

Decades after our contemporary international system witnessed the end of the Second World War, the events that followed in its aftermath has fashioned an international system characterized by global conflict in the guise of the Cold War. Although wars were part of the struggle between the two rival super powers - the US and USSR - their main theatre was the Third World and hostilities during the Cold War era were global. It is against this backdrop that Governance, Conflict Analysis and Conflict Resolution addresses conflict in the Caribbean and elsewhere, exploring the linkages between conflict and development. The book is divided into eight sections and offers diverse views on conflict, conflict resolution and governance: Part 1 - Governance and Conflict Management in a Global Context; Part II - Management and resolution of Conflict in the Regional Context; Part III - Perspectives on Social Stratification, Political Rivalry and Ethnic Insecurities; Part IV - High Intensity Conflicts; Part V - The Management and Resolution of Territorial Conflicts; Part VI - Poverty, Economics and Conflict Management; Part VII - Advancing Conflict Resolution through Education; and Part VIII - Civil Society, Governance and Social Consensus.

The Review analyses the open government agenda of the Province of Biscay, based on the 2017 OECD Recommendation of the Council on Open Government. It assesses Biscay’s initiatives regarding transparency, accountability and stakeholder participation and how they impact the quality of public service delivery.

This report provides an in-depth, evidence-based analysis of open government initiatives and the challenges countries face in implementing and co-ordinating them.

Transparency and integrity are key factors in consolidating democratic governance and deepening the modernization of the state. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has been supporting country efforts to achieve open government, providing technical support and knowledge on transparency in the LAC region. With the support of the Norwegian government, the IDB created the Anticorruption Activities Trust Fund (AAF), aimed at strengthening the institutional capacity of the Bank's borrowing countries in their efforts to prevent and control corruption. After four years in operation, the fund has gained recognition, both inside and outside the Bank, as a source of innovation and best practices in terms of access to information and targeted transparency. This publication compiles some of the experiences and lessons learned from five different countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guatemala), with direct support from the AAF.

Open government initiatives have become a defining goal for public administrators around the world. As technology and social media tools become more integrated into society, they provide important frameworks for online government and community collaboration. However, progress is still necessary to create a method of evaluation for online governing systems for effective political management worldwide. Open Government: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a vital reference source that explores the use of open government initiatives and systems in the executive, legislative, and judiciary sectors. It also examines the use of technology in creating a more affordable, participatory, and transparent public-sector management models for greater citizen and community involvement in public affairs. Highlighting a range of topics such as data transparency, collaborative governance, and bureaucratic secrecy, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for government officials, leaders, practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and academicians seeking current research on open government initiatives.

On January 2009, President Obama signed the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government. The memorandum declares the new Administration’s commitment to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government and establishing a system linking three principles: transparency, public participation and collaboration. Since then, federal agencies in the United States and public administrations around the world have embarked on open government initiatives and have worked to redefine their relationship with citizens and with each other. On September 20th, 2011, eight governments gathered in New York City to launch the Open Government Partnership, a new multilateral initiative to promote open government. The benefits attributed to open government are many and by no means universally shared. They include the claims that open government leads to more effective decision making and services, safeguards against corruption, enables public scrutiny, and promotes citizens’ trust in government. However, the speed of events and pressure to implement has given rise to confusion and ambiguity. Although many of the initiatives have been based on opening data and on promoting open action, governments have followed different directions and interpretations when it has come to implement them and development of open government has become unequal and heterogeneous. This book provides a comprehensive study of recent major developments of open government around the world, and analyzes the importance of open government efforts for public governance, making it of interest to academics and practitioners worldwide.