Nothing is more beneficial during a modern disaster than public participation. As the saying goes, “two minds are better than one.” When it comes to social media, millions of minds come together to solve problems, seek out answers, and disseminate vital information. As has been evident in recent days, the public has played a key
Speaking at an Open Government Partnership reception last night in London, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the web, unveiled details of the first ever in-depth study into how the power of open data can be harnessed to tackle social challenges in the developing world. The study will report in 2014. The occasion was doubly significant as it
This is an exciting week for the Open Government Partnership as more countries present their action plans to their international partners and representatives of civil society in a major step toward full participation. From their commitments we eagerly anticipate more action to establish transparency, civic participation, and accountability. At the OGP Ministerial Steering Committee meeting
People now live their day-to-day lives in a society that is fundamentally different from how it was before the new millennium. We are living in a world of globalization where open agile networking has penetrated every corner of our existence. Large parts of the business world have recognized that one of the consequences of such
The UK is a global leader in open data but the picture is still mixed across government activities and departments when it comes to international aid information. Although the Department for International Development (DFID) accounts for the lion’s share of UK aid spending, there are other important players, notably the Department of Energy & Climate
La transparencia es uno de los principios fundamentales que se asocian al Gobierno Abierto. La Real Academia de la Lengua Española (RAE) define: “Transparencia: cualidad de transparente (…) que implica claridad, evidencia, sin duda ni ambigüedad). Garantía: que asegura y protege contra algún riesgo. Derechos que la Constitución de un Estado reconoce a todos los
The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) has been one year in practice, but neither EU politicians nor civil society organisations are happy with the instrument. Originally praised as the first tool of transnational direct democracy, “ECI Day” in Brussels on 9 April 2013 showed that the requirements of the ECI must change to be an influential