Strengthening the Transparency of Decision-Making Processes (IT0082)

Problem addressed

The right to the integrity of public decision-making processes must be considered a priority to prevent economic and social dynamics where particular interests are rewarded at the expense of the general interest. The real risk is creating an intolerable gap for modern democracies, effectively excluding a large population segment from guaranteeing their rights. The exercise ofthis rightis not yetfully guaranteed in our country. Citizens and civil society organisationsdo not have effective tools to reduce the information asymmetries surrounding public decision-making processes, making them vulnerable to biases and manipulations by particular interests. For instance, the emergence of needs for the procurement of goods and services or external expertise, the adoption of sectoral policies that guide the market(either opening or closing it), and the development of regulatory devices in the implementation of sectoral regulations are processes that are still not transparent, especially in central administrations, Regions, and large cities. In the administrations' perception, the planning and needs assessment phases as immune to manipulation and undue influence by particular interests. However, public decision-makers often underestimate the risks arising from situations of conflict of interest and revolving doors, exposing public decision-making processes to risks of relational interference, hijacking of public functions, and loss of integrity. The absence of specific standards for properly managing relationships between public decision-makers and stakeholders can, therefore, expose administrations to obvious reputational risks. Finally, public policies are also defined at the local level (e.g., concerning social services, healthcare, education, territorial and infrastructural planning, environment). Although Open Agendas were designed to provide guidance to national-level decision-makers, it is crucial to transfer this culture to the subnational level as well.

Description of the commitment:

Increasing the transparency, integrity, and accountability of public decision-making processes in Italy
would bring considerable benefits in terms of improving:
-The perception of public institutions and the overall image of the "country system", with particular reference to international investors, often deterred from investing in Italy due to fears of "decision-making opacity";
- The quality of decision-making processes, ensuring a more comprehensive and objective information framework;
- The quality of choices made by public decision-makers, who could receive contributions, data, and information from all stakeholders potentially interested in or impacted by a particular policy;
- The level of democracy within the political-institutional system, overcoming current distortions and opacities that may favor specific stakeholders to the detriment of the community.
The main expected outcome of this commitment is the implementation of concrete cases of open agendas of top administration officials and support for disseminating this practice nationwide.

How will the commitment address the problem?

In collaboration with the Open Government Forum, the Public Administration Department, as the institutional facilitator of open government policies at the national level, has welcomed the call for the introduction of open agendas at the request of the Minister of Public Administration, who is in favor of a path aimed at supporting this practice widely among PAs. This initiative represents an important pilot case implementing a key principle of open government, in line with the policy favoring transparency and supporting the culture of integrity. Additionally, on a technical level, the availability of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) to share their experience and know-how in the matter has been acquired, considering the current process of simplifying open agendas initiated, also to increase the effectiveness ofthe tool in areas other than economic development, but in line with the principle of accountability.

How is this commitment relevant to the OGP values?

Promoting the culture of integrity in our institutions and public administrations requires concrete actions aimed at reducing information asymmetries by adopting transparency and integrity standards that enable public decision-makers to be accountable for their actions. More transparent and inclusive decision-making processes contribute to greater openness and public participation, including from often underrepresented interests. Specifically, the commitment aims to introduce and disseminate practices that concretely make the relationships between national public decision-makers and stakeholders transparent, in line with the principle of leading by example. This perspective includes the introduction of Open Agendas and a register (or "Registry") of stakeholders in public administrations, thanks to the leadership role assumed in this area by the Public Administration Department as an initiative of the Minister pro tempore of Public Administration in collaboration with the Open Government Forum.

Description of activities and outputs:

Initiation of a path for the adoption of open agendas by public decision-makers in
public administrations.
Output: Technical document on modelling (December 2024); Pilot design (January 2025)
Strengthening knowledge and skills in public integrity (in connection with Goal “B”,
commitment 4).
Output: Program of meetings dedicated to the topic (June 2025), Participant feedback on the training received - Final report (June 2026)
Strengthening integrity standards in the relations between public decision-makers
and interest groups.
Output: Document on integrity standards for public decision-makers (June 2025)
Accompaniment path for the introduction of open agendas by public decisionmakers in administrations.
Output: Guidelines for the introduction of open agendas (September 2025), Evaluation report on the path (June 2026)