A post-Summit reading list
Over 26 – 28 October 2015, a number of members of the Open Government Network and the UK government attended the Open Government Partnership Summit in Mexico City. The summit provided a lot of food for thought and provoked some useful reflections from the open government community.
Apart from some great sessions, the community used the time in Mexico to blog. We’ve collected together some of the most interesting articles which flying around during the summit below. We’ll update with new posts as we find them. If you have suggestions for any interesting articles, send them over!
- Spoiling the magic trick that lies behind OGP. Simon Burall says there’s something magic at the heart of OGP. But when reformers rely on relationships with individuals, that magic can be fragile.
- OGPx – Going Local for Global Impact | Open Government Partnership. A particular focus for a number of us in the OGP community is how the OGP can be deepened to involve subnational governments and civil society. Martin Tisne and Julie McCarthy explore the potential for an OGPx franchise.
- The impact of the UK restricting freedom of information would be international. The UK government has appointed a commission to look at the scope of the FOI Act, which reformers are concerned may result in the scope of the Act being narrowed. Josephine Suherman-Bailey reflects on the message any restriction on the Act might send to the international open government community.
- Can the OGP deliver the SDGs? There was much discussion in Mexico City of how OGP can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs are a huge agenda covering extreme poverty, sustainable consumption, energy and 14 other critical areas of global public policy. Simon Burall blogs about his nagging concern that, unless we are careful with how we frame it, the OGP risks becoming something for everyone, and in the process nothing for anyone.
- What’s the point of the Open Government Summit? No, really, what’s the point? It’s easy to be cynical about open government and democracy, says Simon Burall. It’s even easier to be cynical about international summits. But what really draws me to the OGP is that it focuses on creating a space where reformers inside government and civil society can work together
- Report from the 2015 OGP Global Summit: OpenTheGovernment.org hosts a workshop on civil society experiences | OpenTheGovernment.org. Tim Hughes moderated an in depth discussion in Mexico City, convened by OpenTheGovernment.org, to share practice on how civil society can best work together and with government on the OGP. Here are the notes from the session.