Open Government as a solution for distrust between government and Citizens

Advances in technology have fuelled rising expectations for access to information. But in many instances, governments have yet to keep pace.

Policies are shaped behind closed doors, without adequate input or oversight. Vital data remains unavailable to the public, so distrust in government institutions has grown.

Open government is an approach that combats distrust by involving transparent, participatory, and collaborative governance. This means that the government actively shares information, enables public participation, and partners with citizens. 

The Problem: Declining trust and secrecy

There is declining public trust in government and public institutions globally, alongside growing disengagement. 

Contributing factors include corruption scandals, opaque policymaking, and outdated assumptions of secrecy.

Citizens feel excluded from decisions made behind closed doors without adequate transparency.

Traditional and colonial laws allow government secrecy, blocking access to information that enables public accountability.

Open Government as a solution

The open government philosophy aims to build or restore public trust through transparency of public officials and citizen participation in their governance.

It involves proactively publishing government held data and information instead of shielding it from scrutiny. 

Opening access to data empowers citizens to analyse policies and provide meaningful input.

New technologies make sharing information easier, enabling participation and driving innovation.

Right to information laws and disclosure practices are crucial to shifting traditional attitudes valuing secrecy over openness.

Some key elements of Open Government

Disclosing data and records proactively rather than waiting for requests (such as making databases available to the public).

Government decision-making processes are visible to the public.

Citizens are engaged through public consultations and feedback channels. 

Collaboration with civil society organisations as partners.

Using technology innovatively to expand access to information.

Establishing robust right to information laws and access mechanisms.

Streamlining requests for government documents from the public.

Tracking government performance through measurable indicators.

Involving citizens, free media and independent civil society organisations in policy development, budget processes, and service delivery.

Benefits for democracy

Open government promotes informed civic participation, inclusive policymaking, and government accountability.

Access to data allows collaborative, fact-based oversight of leaders and institutions.

A transparent, engaged democracy is an antidote to secretive, disconnected bureaucracy.

Open government flips longstanding secrecy tendencies by using transparency and participation to reconnect the government to an informed public and restore democratic ideals.

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