30th April 2020
From the Board of the Northern Ireland Open Government Network Part 1 – Transparency in a Time of Crisis What is the role of Open Government while we face an unprecedented crisis? The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our normal way of life; it is placing substantial strain on the fabric of government, public services and…
27th February 2020
This article was originally published in The Political Quarterly on 20 January 2020. Marilyn Stathern, in her famous article on the ‘Tyranny of transparency’, asked: ‘what does visibility conceal’? While openness can shed light on some areas, it can also create shadows and shade to hide in. One of the biggest fears for transparency campaigners…
10th October 2019
This blogpost was written by Dr Judith Townend. Dr Judith Townend is a senior lecturer in media and information law at the University of Sussex. She was commissioned by Spotlight on Corruption to prepare a proposal to guide the Open Government commitment to open justice. You can download the report here: Docx | pdf Justice…
8th October 2019
Blogpost originally published here on 4th September 2019, authored by Ben Worthy. How well can we monitor what is happening at Westminster? What happens when we do? This project looks at how new data sources and web platforms have made it easier to monitor Parliament and its members. At the touch of a button, we…
25th September 2019
This blogpost was written by Professor Karim Murji (University of West London) and Asif Afridi (BRAP) Earlier this year, a blogpost made the case for high quality data on ethnicity to understand and address inequalities in the public sector. While we are sympathetic to that call, our research suggests that data quality in itself is…
20th June 2019
From 28-30 May, Canadian civil society and the Canadian Government hosted the Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Ottawa. This year’s Summit had a particular focus on participation, inclusion and impact. Over 2,000 delegates, over 100 sessions, and 130 countries (including all the UK nations) came together to learn and share their knowledge, experiences and…
19th June 2019
by Women’s Budget Group NOTE: This analysis by Women’s Budget Group was requested in early 2019 before the National Action Plan 2019-21 had been published. A number of commitments have had slight changes since this analysis was done, although these do not affect the overall assessment. Two commitments were not finalised when passed onto WBG…
13th June 2019
Written Colm Burns The UK’s fourth Open Government National Action Plan 2019-21 (NAP), published just in time for 6th Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Ottawa on 28 May 2019, builds on the previous plans published in September 2011, September 2013, and May 2016. The NAP was developed in dialogue with the UK Open Government…
13th June 2019
Written by Ann Allan Originally posted on apvallan.com On Friday I attended the Democracy Games at Stormont. Now I’m sure you’re asking what are Democracy Games and aren’t you a bit old to be taking part in any sort of games. I was in fact there to host on behalf of the Open Government NI…
12th June 2019
Written by Jenny Muir What does democracy mean to us? Has its meaning changed over time? Which countries are the most democratic? How does good democratic practice relate to activism? What are the barriers to achieving change? NI OGN Directors Paul Braithwaite and Jenny Muir led a workshop asking these questions – and more – …