22nd August 2018
Written by Peter Osborne Open government and transparency is not just a nifty phrase and something to be said because government is required to do it. Transparency is important; and it is valuable and empowering. Unfortunately recent events have meant there has been little debate about the reasons why government should welcome transparency. Instead the…
17th August 2018
Originally posted on the OGP blog on 16 August 2018 The global wave of political transitions over the last few years have challenged progress towards greater openness in OGP countries. Seven years after OGP launched, many civil society activists and reformers inside government find themselves now faced with obstacles to introducing open government reforms or…
26th July 2018
Written by Colm Burns Colm at the OGP Summit in Tbilisi, Georgia – 19th July 2018 I was asked to speak at the Open Government Summit in Georgia on “How to Ensure the Capacity of Citizens to Engage with Government”. My original proposal was for an 1hr 30min session with inputs from citizens, government representatives…
26th June 2018
Written by Ben Worthy This month my mid-term IRM report on the UK’s Third National Action Plan was published, covering the UK’s progress up until the end of last year. So where is Northern Ireland in terms of its commitments? Northern Ireland began from a different point than the UK as a whole, and, though…
11th May 2018
Gila Sacks is Director for Digital and Tech Policy at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Her responsibilities include support for the tech sector and wider digital economy, emerging technologies, digital skills and inclusion, and the societal and ethical implications of technology. Opening up government is a powerful way of building trust…
24th April 2018
Job title: Web Archivist Organisation: National Records of Scotland Location: Edinburgh Member since: January 2018 Contact me at: [email protected], @garthstewart1 on Twitter How would you describe your job to a child? I help select and collect the archival public record of Scotland. The archival public record are those documents which have been produced by successive…
20th April 2018
439 days. That’s how long I’ve been Project Coordinator for the Open Government Pioneers Project. It’s the longest I’ve spent in any role. I’ve enjoyed managing a project touching on so many of the things I love – policy, public affairs, campaigns, events and project management. Taking on a complex project with only a high-level plan…
6th April 2018
Job title: Knowledge and Collaboration Manager Organisation: Improvement Service Location: Livingston Network Member since: June 2017 Contact me at: @mclean_mj on Twitter How would you describe your job to a child? I help local government employees collect and create information that will help them make better informed decisions. I promote and run digital services to allow…
21st March 2018
Job title: National Development Officer Organisation: Scottish Community Safety Network (SCSN) Location: Everywhere (but based mainly in Edinburgh) Network Member since: November 2017 Contact me at: [email protected] or @hannahdix on Twitter How would you describe your job to a child? Feeling safe and being safe in your home, school, street and work is important. I…
13th March 2018
Paul Bradley is Network Coordinator for Scotland’s Open Government Network and Scotland’s Sustainable Development Goals Network. Let’s assume that you think open government is a good idea. You’d be hard placed to find someone in Scotland who would say otherwise – open sounds better than closed, right? That may be so, but do…