The State of Open Government in the U.S. – A Comparative Empirical Analysis of U.S. Performance under NAP3 Relative to U.S.-NAP2 and OECD Peers

by Jason I. McMann, PhD

This paper uses the Open Government Partnership’s (OGP) assessment methodology and difference-in-means tests to conduct a comparative empirical analysis of U.S. performance under the federal government’s third National Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen... (NAP3) relative to its own performance under the previous action plan (NAP2), and relative to a group of OECD peer countries. The paper yields four key findings. (1) On average, U.S. performance under NAP3 is statistically indistinguishable from its performance under NAP2. (2) On average, U.S. performance under NAP3 is statistically indistinguishable from that of its OECD peers, with the exception of minor differences in mid-term completionImplementers must follow through on their commitments for them to achieve impact. For each commitment, OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) evaluates the degree to which the activities outlin... rates. (3) On average, the U.S. under NAP3 advanced commitments with low potential and actual impact that only marginally opened government. U.S. performance in this regard is nevertheless statistically indistinguishable from its own performance under NAP2 and that of its OECD peers, reflecting a high historical prevalence of low-impact action plans, both within the U.S. and globally. (4) For the first time in its assessment history, U.S. performance under NAP3 resulted in a closure of government, as reflected in a ‘Did-It-Open-Government’ score of ‘Worsened’ for two commitments. Collectively, these findings suggest that while the U.S. performs well on commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... completion (in both absolute and relative terms), it continues to advance low-impact commitments that only marginally shift the needle toward more open government. U.S. backsliding and the delayed release of NAP4 cast doubt on the U.S.’ commitment to creating a more open government.