During Obama’s campaign, he promised transparency throughout his administration, and the federal government. His goal? To urge the public to become more involved in the political process, and if the inner workings of government become easier to witness, then there is a chance to change our perceived culture of government. Additionally, those that are opposed to big government bureaucracy will cite the inefficiencies of these federally run departments. Well, the more transparent these sectors can become, the easier it may be for the private sector to help fix efficiency problems. After all, it is our money that goes into government programs, we might as well make sure that what we “own” runs smoothly and doesn’t waste any more of our salary. Recovery.org is one of the first attempts, take a look.
The administration released their open government plan to the heads of executive departments and agencies, describing how to implement these transparencies…
The three principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration form the cornerstone of an open government. Transparency promotes accountability by providing the public with information about what the Government is doing. Participation allows members of the public to contribute ideas and expertise so that their government can make policies with the benefit of information that is widely dispersed in society. Collaboration improves the effectiveness of Government by encouraging partnerships and cooperation within the Federal
Government, across levels of government, and between the Government and private institutions.
Reading through the docoument, you see the steps laid out to actually bring about this change. Agencies will be required to post more and more of their data and information online in a timely manner. New quality control managers will be required for agencies to promote better efficiency and production. A combination of, “policy, legal, procurement, finance, and technology operations to work together to define and develop open government solutions.” Obama is basically implementing standard business solutions to fix inherent problems in our government. Viva capitalism?
This seems all good and well, but holding government agencies accountable, and making sure that they follow through on their directives will be the real test. People have been screaming for more of an open government, and hopefully this is a promising first step. It can be very difficult to change the culture of such a massive public sector, so it is understandable to be pessimistic about this. More money will be to be thrown into these transparency programs too, providing checks and enforcing regulation are not free endeavors. Hopefully our President can fulfill this campaign promise, and as a result, spend taxpayers dollars more efficiently. At the very least, it will be easier to see where our money goes, and determine if it’s at all worth it.
Filed under: Political Pondering
