This blog post includes provisional results of our online strategy discussions. The results will be out of date as soon as this is published. You can dig into the live results yourself at the bottom of this post.

Last month we launched the co-creation of OGP’s new strategy for 2023 to 2028. As part of the first phase of this process, we’re asking the OGP community and beyond about the role and 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... of open government for the next five years.

One of the quickest and easiest ways anyone can have their say is by taking part in the monthly online discussion we are hosting on Pol.is. This is a real-time collaborative survey tool which allows you to not only respond to statements, but also add your own. The tool then helps to show where there are areas of agreement or disagreement, consensus or division.

If you have not taken part yet, do so now! And even if you have already participated, there may be new statements for you to vote on.

Last month, we asked the community what they thought the biggest challenges or opportunities that open government approaches can positively influence over the next five years. This is what you all said so far.

Where most agree

So far, 88% of the respondents agree that open government should ensure that “citizens have an opportunity to shape the policies that impact them the most”, A number of the other highest rated statements similarly relate to increasing citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More in decision-making.

The top five statements that most respondents agree are the biggest challenges or opportunities OGP can influence in the next five years so far are:

• “Ensuring citizens have an opportunity to shape the policies that impact them the most” – 88% agree / 0% disagree / 12% unsure
• “Prioritizing Citizens needs as part of Policy making process” – 84% agree / 0% disagree / 16% unsure
• “Making government more participatory for all” – 80% agree / 2% disagree / 18% unsure
• “Expand grassroots training on participatory governance” – 76% agree / 7% disagree / 17% unsure
• “Institutionalising citizen participation in decision-making” – 75% agree / 10% disagree / 15% unsure

Other statements with high levels of support include “reducing corruption in public service deliveryTo ensure that citizens of all groups are better supported by the government, OGP participating governments are working to improve the quality of and access to public services. Commitments in this are...”, “increasing access to justiceAccessible justice systems – both formal and informal – ensure that individuals and communities with legal needs know where to go for help, obtain the help they need, and move through a system tha... More”, “demonstrating what more democratic, consultative, inclusive governance looks like”, “making policies more inclusive and representative of all people” and “defending and expanding civic space”.

Where some disagree

Across all 41 statements currently posted on Pol.is by OGP and community members, all but three have received more agreement than disagreement. Of the statements that have been voted on by at least 20 people, the following have received the highest level of disagreement so far:

• “Changing the attitude of government is a big challenge for OGP, so, OGP needs to develop a certain tool [to support this goal]” – 25% agree / 20% disagree / 55% unsure
• “Supporting just transitions to zero carbon economies” – 40% agree / 20% disagree / 40% unsure
• “Sharing guidelines on how OGP processes (and participation processes of all kinds) can prioritise integrity 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” – 57% agree / 15% disagree / 28% unsure
• “Shifting the culture of government” – 57% agree / 14% disagree / 29% unsure
• “When Citizens ask and get what they want from Government at the right time without barriers” – 39% agree / 13% disagree / 48% unsure

Remember, these are in relation to the biggest opportunities or challenges for open government approaches to influence. So a statement that has received a higher proportion of disagreement does not necessarily mean it is an unimportant issue, just that participants think it does not present the biggest opportunity or challenge that open government can influence.

Where there’s uncertainty

As well as agreeing or disagreeing to a statement, it is possible to pass statements that a participant is unsure about. Statements that have received a high proportion of passes, indicating uncertainty, so far include:

• “Changing the attitude of government is a big challenge for OGP, so, OGP needs to develop a certain tool” – 25% agreed / 20% disagree / 55% unsure
• “Addressing inequities in access to housing” – 33% agreed / 12% disagree / 54% unsure
• “Condemning state violence as a form of governance” – 40% agreed / 12% disagreed / 46% unsure
• “When Citizens ask and get what they want from Government at the right time without barriers” – 39% agreed / 13% disagreed / 47% unsure
• “Undue influence and money in politics” – 45% agreed / 9% disagreed / 45% unsure

This perhaps suggests that these issues require further discussion among the community to explore the role that open government could or could not play in helping to address them.

This is just the beginning.

We are only part way through the discussion, so we are not drawing any conclusions at this stage. We want to hear from more people in the community and beyond. Let us know what you think are the biggest challenges or opportunities that open government approaches can positively influence over the next five years. Join the discussion here.

Live report