Inception Report – Action plan – Santa Catarina, Brazil, 2021 – 2022
Overview
Name of Evaluator
Marcelo Brognoli da Costa
Member
Santa Catarina, Brazil
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...
Section 1.
Compliance with
co-creation requirements
1.1 Does a forum exist?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The content presented under the listed webpages shows evidences of the formation of a group of actors denoted Motor Group, which is composed by government actors – the Comptroller General of the State, and the Secretariat of Integrity and Governance – and civil society actors – the Social Observatory of Santa Catarina, and the Politeia Research Group. The evidence also reveals meetings among these actors.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.2 Is the forum multi-stakeholder?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
As previously stated, the Motor Group is composed of the Comptroller General of the State, the Secretariat of Integrity and Governance, the Social Observatory of Santa Catarina, and the Politeia Research Group, denoting the presence of governmental and non-governmental representatives.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.3 Does the forum hold at least one meeting with civil society and non-governmental stakeholders during the co-creation of the action plan?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The Minutes of the Meeting of 23rd April, 2021 certify that governmental and nongovernmental (the Social Observatory of Santa Catarina, and the Politeia Research Group) representatives took part in the meeting. The meeting’s agenda included the leveling on the progress of the OGP Local process, the evaluation of the projects to be included in the action plan, the definition of the thematic areas of the action plan, and other matters. Thematic area meetings were also held, which demonstrates the participation in the co-creation of the action plan.
Provide evidence for your answer:
1.4 Has the action plan been endorsed by the stakeholders of the forum or steering committeeThe Steering Committee is OGP’s executive decision-making body. Its role is to develop, promote and safeguard OGP’s values, principles and interests; establish OGP’s core ideas, policies, and ru.../group?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
As noted in the 1st Santa Catarina Open Government Action Plan, the participants of the Motor Group approved the Action Plan, as per the Declaration of 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... on page 03.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Section 2.
Recommended practices
in co-creation
2.1 Does the government maintain a Local OGP website or webpage on a government website where information on the OGP Local process (co-creation and implementation) is proactively published?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The government maintains a website with various information about Open Government, with explanations on what Open Government is, the Principles of Open Government, and the 1st Santa Catarina Open Government Action Plan. There is also an explanatory video to facilitate understanding on Open Government.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.2 Did the government provide information to stakeholders in advance to facilitate informed and prepared participation in the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive...?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
As can be seen from the evidence presented here, information was provided to interested parties in advance, enabling them to participate in the co-creation process.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.3 Did the government ensure that any interested member of the public could make inputs into the action plan and observe or have access to decision-making documentation?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
As can be seen from the presented evidence, after the co-creation meetings of the thematic areas, a Public Consultation was carried out between the 6th and 13th of July 2021. Anyone was able to contribute, and the Consultation received 51 contributions.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.4 Did the government proactively report back or provide written feedback to stakeholders on how their contributions were considered during the creation of the action plan?
Unclear
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Although it is clear that there is a report on the contributions received via public consultation, there is no evidence of feedback to stakeholders. It is important to note that many contributions to the public consultation were anonymous, which may have difficulted the feedback.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.5 Was there an iterative dialogue and shared ownership between government and non-governmental stakeholders during the decision making process, including setting the agenda?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
We identified dialogue between government and civil society during the Action Plan’s cocreation process, in the communications of the thematic meetings’ work dates, as well as in the minutes of the meetings.
Provide evidence for your answer:
2.6 Would you consider the forum to be inclusive and diverse?
Moderately
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
According to the minutes of the meetings, civil society and government organizations composed the Motor Group. However, at some thematic meetings there was a majority of bodies linked to the Government.
Provide evidence for your answer:
Section 3. Initial evaluation of commitments
Improve the process of public procurementTransparency in the procurement process can help combat corruption and waste that plagues a significant portion of public procurement budgets globally. Technical specifications: Commitments that aim t... and contracting at the Santa Catarina Executive Branch
1.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is based on nine milestones very distinct and cohesive, that allow its measurement. The set of milestones have great potential to provide 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 in procurement and contracting processes when implemented. There is feasibility of measuring its realization, because it consists in the creation of protocol, training, conclusion of agreements, availability of various information in the Procurement Portal and a tutorial development to facilitate access to information.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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1.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevanceAccording to the OGP Articles of Governance, OGP commitments should include a clear open government lens. Specifically, they should advance at least one of the OGP values: transparency, citizen partic... to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment aims to establish more transparency for the public procurement and contracts for the Executive Branch of Santa Catarina State.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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1.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a continuation of ongoing practice in line with existing legislationCreating and passing legislation is one of the most effective ways of ensuring open government reforms have long-lasting effects on government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or r..., policies or requirements.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is an improvement and constitutes the continuation of a current practice that fulfils constitutional and legal principles that determine the publicity and transparency of public procurement and contracting. Now focusing on improvements in active transparency with greater availability of data and information and facilitation of access.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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1.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
is a positive change to a process, practice or policy but will not generate a binding or institutionalized change across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is an improvement and constitutes the continuation of a current practice that fulfils constitutional and legal principles that determine the publicity and transparency of public procurement and contracting. Now focusing on improvements in active transparency with greater availability of data and information and facilitation of access.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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1.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
No. There are not.
2. Commitment :
Promote principles and practices of open government and social control in municipalities
2.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The language used to delimit the commitment, as well as its milestones, is clearly identifiable and measurable.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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2.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is aligned to the OGP values, as it focuses on transparency and social control in Santa Catarina’s municipalities, empowering civil society in partnership with these governments.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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2.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulationGovernment reformers are developing regulations that enshrine values of transparency, participation, and accountability in government practices. Technical specifications: Act of creating or reforming ..., policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Despite being desirable, open government is not an initiative adopted by the vast majority of municipalities in Santa Catarina. Given this scenario, the promotion of open government principles and practices in the municipalities will make a decisive contribution to social control, further strengthening shared learning.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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2.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The milestones planned to achieve the commitment will possibly result in changes in the practices adopted by the municipalities until then, especially with regard to transparency and access to public data, generating substantial changes in the relationship between citizens and the municipalities, providing an effective participation of those in the desirable social control.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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2.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
There are no recommendations to improve the commitment.
3. Commitment :
Promote social participation to improve public services
3.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Reading the milestones planned to achieve the commitment, it is possible to identify how and when the commitment will be achieved.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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3.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment is intended to establish a more transparent and participatory process, enabling the improvement of public service and co-production within its scope.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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3.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a new regulation, policy, practice or requirement.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
With regard to the ombudsman, it is possible to say that it is an improvement to the ombudsman, with a new methodology, information system, among others. However, the conception of the commitment and the milestones foreseen in it are new practices, since to date the State does not have a user council and a technological tool for evaluating digital services.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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3.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
will result in a change of the rules, practices or policies that govern a policy area, public sector and/or relationship between citizens and is binding or institutionalized across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
It is noticed the improvement of the ombudsman working process, providing the qualitative analysis of the received information, allowing the creation of indicators to help the decision making and prioritization of the management actions. In parallel, the actions promote social participation and, consequently, social control, which will enable government actions focused on the final beneficiary.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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3.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
No. There aren’t.
4. Commitment :
Restructure active transparency tools using user-centered design
4.1 Is the commitment verifiable?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The language used to define the commitment, as well as its milestones, is clearly identifiable and measurable.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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4.2 Does the commitment language/activities clearly justify relevance to OGP values?
Yes
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The commitment reflects the values of the OGP, since it focuses on active transparency with a user focus, in order to strengthen social control.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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4.3 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
a continuation of ongoing practice in line with existing legislation, policies or requirements.
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
Santa Catarina already has instruments of active transparency, in accordance with the legislation requirements, and restructuring them will improve the 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... access and quality to society.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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4.4 Please select one option that best describes the commitment:
is a positive change to a process, practice or policy but will not generate a binding or institutionalized change across government or specific institution(s).
Provide a brief explanation of your answer:
The milestones planned to achieve the commitment will allow the improvement of active transparency instruments utilization, attracting more users and allowing the access and understanding of the data contained in them, in order to provide effective social control.
Provide evidence for your answer:
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4.5 Are there any recommended changes to the design of the commitment to help improve its implementation?
No. There are no changes to recommend.
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