Europe

British professional politicians are seen as excessively short term in outlook, secretive by nature and arguably unfit for making and carrying though the big decisions that government requires. They are also viewed as having a hold over public life in…

The OGP publishes a monthly newsletter. Want to receive it? Please email info [at] opengovpartnership.org with 'subscribe to OGP newsletter' in the header. This month's edition can be found below in English. Please feel free to post your comments at…

Last month’s post on how open data is a major factor of economic growth was an important analysis of the wider debate on the impact open data has on governance. Worldwide, businesses and public bodies are unfortunately facing a lack of quality…

Since Croatia applied to join the OGP in 2011 when the then government was more focused on parliamentary elections than on plans for the future, OGP related activities were run by enthusiasts from civil society organisations (CSOs, e.g. GONG ),…

A month ago the Bulgarian cabinet voted in a 33 point action plan for achieving open governance. The main goals of this plan are financial transparency, public registry improvement, public consultation and corporate social responsibility. One of the most important…

A snap survey conducted by Local Interventions Group in Kavre district of Nepal predictably reveals that in average 87% of the public are unaware of the money that the government is spending in their villages for education, health and infrastructure.…

The British Government has just published Unleashing the Potential - the Open Data White Paper [PDF]. It is the culmination of a two-year programme to put transparency and participation at the centre of its strategy for public service reform. The White paper…

This week is Innovation Week in the country of Moldova. In collaboration with the World Bank, the government—in partnership with civil society—has set up a series of events to help launch the implementation of their OGP National Action Plan (NAP).…

In Ukraine and throughout the nearby region, “facade democracy,” in which laws and governance appear to support and conform to universal democratic standards and reforms appear to take place yet repeatedly result in no real reform or change, is a…

Written by David Banisar and Alan Hudson. David is Senior Legal Counsel of ARTICLE 19, global campaign for free expression and information in London. Alan leads for ONE, the global campaigning organisation, on transparency and accountability. Opening governance on a global…