Open Government Archives

Civic Engagement, Civic Tech, Democracy, Open Government, Participatory Budgeting, Participatory Democracy

Next-Generation Engagement Platforms (II) and the Current Moment

In my last post (Next-Generation Engagement Platforms, May 12), I covered three of the most powerful open source next-generation public engagement platforms. These platforms are compelling because they invite residents and citizens to do so much more than vote and submit complaints to governments. Each platform I covered invites its...

By: Matt Stempeck Jun 22, 2020
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Open Data, Open Government, Transparency

Debating Cass Sunstein on Transparency

We need to find a language that allows us to differentiate honest, disinterested debate over policy options from special-interest lobbying and campaign-finance blackmail.

By: Tom Steinberg Sep 20, 2016
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GovTech, Open Data, Open Government

The Next Open Data Movement

A version of this essay was originally published on the SeeClickFix channel on Medium. Picture a classroom where the teacher presents their information, but the students are not invited to ask questions or present their opinion. Attendance is not mandatory. Now picture the classroom in its fourth week. There’s a...

By: Ben Berkowitz May 3, 2016
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Open Data, Open Government

Over-Politeness Is the Fatal Flaw in the Open Data Movement

I am, for my sins, one of the many parents of the strange beast that is the open data movement. I was one of the first people to nag politicians about the value of opening up public data in machine readable ways. I’m one of the first people who actually...

By: Tom Steinberg Apr 25, 2016
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Civic Engagement, New York, Open Government

Open Gov’t Platform for Cities Now in NYC

An open government platform launches in the city, with new features designed to increase civic engagement and participation in City Council meetings.

By: Jessica McKenzie Nov 23, 2015
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New York, Open Government, Participatory Democracy

Smart Participation: The Public’s Chance to be Heard on Congestion in NYC

Smart Participation is an experiment led by Cornell researchers to see how public comment processes developed at the federal level will do in local contexts.

By: Jessica McKenzie Nov 6, 2015
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GovTech, Open Government

New York Senate Site Relaunches With “Listening” Features

The redesign is meant to increase public participation in the legislative process and make possible more efficient communication between New Yorkers and their representatives.

By: Jessica McKenzie Oct 6, 2015
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Civic Tech, Election 2016, First Post, Open Government

First Post: Subversions

Is it really a "social media election"? How #BlackLiveMatters is engaging Hillary Clinton; and the White House Presidential Innovation Fellows program grows up.

By: Micah L. Sifry Aug 18, 2015
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Democracy, GovTech, Open Government

In Brazil, Championing the US Digital Services Playbook

A civic tech start-up in Brazil has translated the U.S. Digital Services Playbook into Portuguese and wants to distribute it to elected representatives and government agencies.

By: Jessica McKenzie Aug 3, 2015
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Civic Engagement, Open Government, Petitions

White House Hits Reset Button on WeThePeople

In light of today’s announcement, I think it’s fair to say that WeThePeople is no longer a virtual ghost town.

By: Dave Karpf Jul 28, 2015
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