Transparency

Is Open Government Dead?

Submitted by on Fri, 12/29/2017 - 16:31
In recent weeks, the main stream media has questioned whether the Obama administration’s Open Government initiative has lost its steam.

OMB Unveils Its Performance.Gov Website

Submitted by on Fri, 12/29/2017 - 16:30
The Bush Administration had its Results.Gov scorecard. The Obama Administration now has unveiled its Performance.Gov dashboard. Is a dashboard better than a scorecard?

The Bush website provided links to key management initiatives, such as the President’s Management Agenda Scorecard, a list and bios of top political appointees, and a set of agency examples of best practices.

Web-Enabled Coordination

Submitted by on Fri, 12/29/2017 - 16:17
How can organizations reach beyond their traditional smokestacks and silos? Coordination mechanisms have existed for years, notes Naval Postgraduate School author Nancy Roberts, but they haven’t been used.

Understanding the Many Communities within Open Government

Submitted by on Fri, 12/29/2017 - 15:54
Open Government advocates may fall into one or more of the following sub-communities: Transparency, Innovation, Engagement, Media.

It is tempting to think of the Open Government community as an undifferentiated body.

The Meaning of Accountability

Submitted by on Fri, 12/29/2017 - 10:02
The word “accountability” ranks right up there with “freedom,” “justice,” and “democracy” – words commonly used and thought to be understood by all. But that is wrong. It is a term that is complex and misunderstood, and subject to abuse in political discourse.

Customer Service Guidance from OMB

Submitted by on Tue, 12/26/2017 - 16:56

Six weeks ago, President Obama signed an executive order, “Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service,” directing agencies to develop customer service plans by the end of October.  The Office of Management and Budget finally released its guidance to agencies on how to prepare those plans.

OMB Guidance on Administrative Flexibility

Submitted by on Tue, 12/26/2017 - 15:36

President Obama’s February 2011 directive, “Administrative Flexibility, Lower Costs, and Better Results for State, Local, and Tribal Governments” instructed agencies to identify opportunities to streamline, reduce, or eliminate administrative requirements imposed on states and localities, and develop a plan of action in 180 days (August 26).  I summed it up in an earlier blog post.  OMB was to produce guidanc

Starlings, Transparency, and Thad Allen

Submitted by on Tue, 12/26/2017 - 15:27

Complexity theory and complex adaptive systems are relatively new ventures in the field of public administration, but they are old hat in other academic disciplines such as physics and biology.

So what did I learn?

GAO Outlines National Indicator System

Submitted by on Tue, 12/26/2017 - 14:47

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) surveyed the state of the art in developing and using comprehensive indicator systems in its 2004 report, “Informing Our Nation: Improving How to Understand and Assess the USA's Position and Progress.”  That report sparked an initiative by the National Academies of Science, with the support of several non-profit foundations, to explore the feasibility of developing a national indicator system.  This led to the creation of a non-profit, State of the USA,

An Open Government Implementation Model: Moving to Increased Public Engagement

Submitted by on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 14:46

On his first full day in office, January 21, 2009, President Obama issued a call for increased openness in government.

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