Denmark Design Report 2019-2021
Denmark’s fourth 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... continues to mainly focus on fostering public trust and transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More through open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici.... Notable commitments include creating a database with information on workplace safety and the introduction of whistleblower protection schemes with in the sphere of the Ministry of JusticeTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi.... Future action plans could focus on improving transparency around lobbyingLobbying transparency allows the public to ensure that there is diversity of participation and contribution to public decision-making. Technical specifications: Policies and actions affecting lobbying... and political financing.
Table 1. At a glance
Participating since: 2011 Action plan under review: 4 Report type: Design Number of commitments: 7 Action plan development Is there a multistakeholder forum: Yes Level of public influence: Involve Acted contrary to OGP process: No Action plan design Commitments relevant to OGP values: 7 (100%) Transformative commitments: 0 Potentially starred commitments: 0 Commitments |
The Open Government PartnershipThe Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on improving government transparency, ensuring opportunities for citizen participation in public matters, and strengthen... More (OGP) is a global partnership that brings together government reformers and civil society leaders to create action plans that make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM)The Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) is OGP’s accountability arm and the main means of tracking progress in participating countries. The IRM provides independent, evidence-based, and objective ... monitors all action plans to ensure governments follow through on commitments. Denmark joined OGP in 2011. Since, Denmark has implemented three action plans. This report evaluates the design of Denmark’s fourth action plan.
General overview of action plan
Denmark continues to perform well in most areas of transparency and anti-corruption. The fourth action plan continues to focus mainly on improving transparency and trust in the public sector through open data and digitisation initiatives. The commitments address a variety of topics, such as workplace safety, climate and water data, case handling in the social services sector, and whistleblower protection.
Denmark’s multi-stakeholder forumRegular dialogue between government and civil society is a core element of OGP participation. It builds trust, promotes joint problem-solving, and empowers civil society to influence the design, imple... met once to develop the commitments for the fourth action plan, and stakeholders were invited to provide proposals around the policy areas that the Agency for Digitisation (AfD) had already identified. While the process was open to anyone interested, few non-governmental stakeholders participated.
Notable commitments include creating a database with information on workplace safety (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... 2) and the introduction of whistleblower protection schemes within the sphere of the Ministry of Justice (Commitment 7).
Table 2. Noteworthy commitments
Commitment description | Moving forward | Status at the end of implementation cycle |
Commitment 2: Open data on workplace health and safety
Create a centralised database with information on workplace environments in Denmark. |
During implementation, the Danish Working Environment Authority could undertake awareness-raising activities such as hackathons to broaden interest and render data available to different user groups. This could be done with support from organisations such as Open Data.dk who facilitate open data seminars and inter-municipal data coordination. | Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
Commitment 7: Whistleblower schemes within the Danish Ministry of Justice
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The Ministry of Justice could share the ongoing reporting on the whistleblower schemes with civil society and allow for comments and inputs. In addition, the Ministry of Justice could undertake broader awareness-raising campaigns to ensure constructive perceptions of whistleblower schemes in public workplaces.
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Note: this will be assessed at the end of the action plan cycle. |
Recommendations
IRM recommendations aim to inform the development of the next action plan and guide implementation of the current action plan. Please refer to Section V: General Recommendations for more details on each of the below recommendations.
Table 3. Five KEY IRM Recommendations
Consider relocating the OGP mandate to an agency with greater policy-making influence within the Ministry of Finance or Ministry of Justice |
Expand participation to a broader segment of stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations |
Take initial steps towards the establishment of an open register on lobbying |
Expand whistleblower schemes to encompass newly adopted EU directive |
Close loopholes in the legal framework for political financing |
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