What’s in a name? A comparison of ‘open government’ definitions across seven Open Government Partnership members

Authors

  • Amanda Clarke Oxford Internet Institute
  • Mary Francoli Carleton University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29379/jedem.v6i3.227

Keywords:

open government, Open Government Partnership, freedom of information, open data, transparency, accountability, citizen participation

Abstract

No longer restricted to access to information laws and accountability measures, “open government” is now associated with a broad range of goals and functions, including public participation, open data, the improvement of public services and government efficiency. The 59 country strong Open Government Partnership (OGP) suggests that consensus on the value of open government is emerging amongst public officials. Similarly, academics have shown a renewed interest in open government as they discuss, debate and critique the meaning and role of open government reforms today. Yet, despite the diverse aims and tools characterizing contemporary open government, public officials and academics typically approach the subject as a cohesive unit of analysis, making sweeping—and generally non-empirical—claims about its implications, without accounting for the homegrown flavours that may characterize open government in practice. Simply put, the practice and study of contemporary open government suffers a lack of definitional clarity: what exactly is open government today, and how does it vary across governments? In response to these questions, this paper analyses the content of open government policy documents in seven OGP member states (Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Netherlands, Kenya, United Kingdom, and the United States), providing the first systematic, empirically-grounded multi-country comparison of contemporary open government. The paper suggests where the term departs from and retains its original meaning, and how its definition varies across different governments

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Author Biography

Mary Francoli, Carleton University

Assistant Professor

School of Journalism and Communication

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Published

01.11.2014

How to Cite

Clarke, A., & Francoli, M. (2014). What’s in a name? A comparison of ‘open government’ definitions across seven Open Government Partnership members. JeDEM - EJournal of EDemocracy and Open Government, 6(3), 248–266. https://doi.org/10.29379/jedem.v6i3.227

Issue

Section

Research Papers