Open Government for Stronger Democracies.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

OECD, author, issuing body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Corporate governance.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (156 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Paris : Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development, 2023.

Summary:

Open government is a powerful catalyst for driving democracy, public trust, and inclusive growth. In recognition of this, the OECD Council adopted the Recommendation on Open Government in 2017. To date, it remains the first - and only - internationally recognised legal instrument on open government and has guided many countries in designing and implementing their open government agendas. This report takes stock of countries' implementation of the Recommendation, its dissemination, and its ongoing significance. It is based on an OECD survey carried out in 2020/2021 among all countries that adhered to the Recommendation and other partner countries, as well as on further data collected through a perception survey with delegates to the OECD Working Party on Open Government.

Contents:

Intro

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

Key findings

Key recommendations

1 Monitoring the implementation of the OECD Recommendation on Open Government

Introduction

Open Government is an umbrella concept

Protected civic space is widely recognised as an enabler of successful open government reforms

References

2 Provision 1: Open government strategies and initiatives

1.1: Design and implement a policy framework on the open government principles

All Adherents are developing and implementing open government strategies and initiatives at the level of the central government.

The OGP Action Plan plays a key role in Adherents' open government agendas.

Open government strategies are becoming more common in Adherents.

1.2: Take an inclusive approach to open government policy making and implementation

The design and implementation of open government strategies and initiatives usually benefit from collaboration with stakeholders.

1.3: Foster commitment to open government across the senior leadership to champion a transformation of the public sector, manage change and navigate risks

Conclusions and way forward (provision 1)

Notes

3 Provision 2: Legal and regulatory framework

2.1: Ensure the necessary laws and regulations to enable open government policies and practices are in place

The legal and regulatory framework for open government in Adherents is very wide.

Provisions relating to the open government principles are often enshrined in Adherents' Constitutions.

Recent years have seen the adoption of new laws and regulations on open government policies and practices.

A focus on access to/freedom of information laws.

Laws and regulations that protect civic space form the backbone of Adherents' open government agendas.

Freedom of expression is widely protected in law, but with exceptions.

Freedom of Peaceful Assembly is widely protected in law, but with exceptions.

There are opportunities to strengthen the enabling environment for CSOs/freedom of association in some Adherents.

Adherents support the implementation of their legal and regulatory frameworks on open government through guiding materials.

2.2: Establish adequate oversight mechanisms to ensure compliance with the existing legal and regulatory framework

Adherents ensure compliance with existing legislation on open government through different means.

Most Adherents have a body that oversees the implementation of the access to information law.

Institutional protection and mechanisms to counter violations of civic freedoms that undermine civic space and open government.

Ombudsmen institutions are actively contributing to open government efforts.

Conclusions and way forward (provision 2)

4 Provision 3: Mandates, resources, and literacy

3.1: Provide public officials with the mandate to design and implement successful open government strategies and initiatives

Most Adherents have de facto established an Open Government Office.

Responsibilities of Adherent's Open Government Offices have been growing steadily.

Open Government Offices are most commonly situated in the Centre of Government.

3.2: Provide public officials with the adequate human, financial and technical resources

Human, financial and technical resources dedicated to open government have grown.

Staff numbers dedicated to open government are on the rise in Adherents.

Financial resources dedicated to Adherents' open government agenda.

Open government and participation portals are becoming mainstreamed.

3.3: Promote awareness, knowledge, and skills for public officials and stakeholders to engage successfully in open government strategies and initiatives

Adherents offer a wide range of trainings and courses on open government and its principles.

Competency frameworks for public officials commonly include competencies relating to open government policies and practices.

Conclusions and way forward (provision 3)

5 Provision 4: Coordination mechanisms

4.1: Co-ordination of open government agendas by establishing dedicated institutional mechanisms

Adherents have set up different institutional mechanisms to co-ordinate open government strategies and initiatives.

The creation of mechanisms to co-ordinate integrated open government approaches is a relatively recent trend.

The Multi-stakeholder Fora have started playing a more active role in the wider open government agenda.

4.2: Ensure that the open government agenda and other relevant national policy agendas proceed in the same direction and contribute to common objectives

Adherents' open government agendas sometimes remain detached from wider policy objectives.

Conclusions and way forward (provision 4)

6 Provision 5: Monitoring and evaluation

5.1: Identify institutional actors to be in charge of collecting and disseminating up-to-date and reliable information and data in an open format

5.2: Develop comparable indicators to measure processes, outputs, outcome and impact in collaboration with stakeholders

Only a small number of Adherents have designed indicators in the field of open government.

5.3: Foster a culture of monitoring, evaluation and learning among public officials by increasing their capacity to regularly conduct exercises for these purposes in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

All Adherents monitor (parts of) their open government agendas.

The system to monitor the implementation of OGP Action Plans is robust in most Adherents that are part of the OGP.

Conclusions and way forward (provision 5)

7 Provision 6: Public communication

6.1: Disseminate their open government agendas both internally and externally

6.2: Promote synergies between the open government and public communication communities for greater transparency, participation and stakeholders' buy in

Conclusions and way forward (provision 6)

8 Provision 7: Proactive disclosure

7.1: Proactively make available clear, complete, timely, reliable and relevant public sector data and information that is free of cost, available in an open and non-proprietary machine-readable format, easy to find, understand, use and reuse, and dis...

7.2: Information and data shared is to be prioritised in consultation with stakeholders

Conclusions and way forward (provision 7)

9 Provision 8: Stakeholder participation

8.1: Putting participation at the core of open government agendas, to provide diverse opportunities for both citizens and stakeholders in all phases of the policy-cycle and service design and delivery

Increasing the diversity of participatory processes and practices.

The quality and impact of participatory processes vary widely among Adherents.

Participatory processes can involve both common citizens and organised groups of stakeholders.

8.2: Institutionalise participatory processes and practices

8.3: Ensure inclusion and accessibility of participatory processes

Protected civic space can increase inclusion in participatory processes.

Anti-discrimination laws are central to facilitating citizen and stakeholder participation.

Monitoring and data collection on discrimination are central to making participatory processes more inclusive.

Funding for the CSO sector is a valuable lifeline that facilitates stakeholder participation.

CSO strategies can strengthen government - CSO relations, thereby facilitating more effective participation in public life.

Entities responsible for CSO registration set the tone for healthy government - civil society relations.

Conclusions and way forward (provision 8)

10 Provision 9: Leverage innovation and digital technology

9.1: Promote innovative ways to effectively engage with stakeholders in their open government agendas

Adherents have been moving the deliberative wave forward.

9.2: Leverage digital government tools to support open government objectives

9.3: Leverage open data in support of open government reforms

Conclusions and way forward (provision 9)

11 Provision 10: Open state

10.1: By increasingly implementing the principle of Open State, Parliaments, the Judiciary and subnational levels of government of Adherents promote open government reforms and practices

Subnational authorities are implementing a variety of open government strategies and initiatives.

Parliaments across Adherents are implementing open government initiatives but lagging behind in adopting strategic approach.

Adherents' judiciaries are gradually implementing the open government principles.

10.2: Collaborating and exploiting synergies among different levels of government and branches of the state in support of moving towards an open state approach

The move towards an open state is a reality but few Adherents are taking a coordinated and integrated approach.

Vertical collaboration and integration are happening on an ad hoc basis.

Few Adherents have established multi-level governance mechanisms to ensure coordination and collaboration on open state.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

92-64-53248-X

92-64-86315-X