An Open Government Implementation Model: Moving to Increased Public Engagement

The release of this report comes on the heels of the first anniversary of the Open Government Directive issued in December 2009. This Directive required all executive departments and agencies to take the following steps toward the goal of creating a more open government:
 

• Publish government information online

• Improve the quality of government information

• Create and institutionalize a culture of open government

• Create an enabling policy framework for open government

Professors Lee and Kwak present a road map — the Open Government Implementation Model — that agencies can follow in moving toward accomplishing the objectives of the Directive. The model set forth by Professors Lee and Kwak recommends that agencies should advance their open government initiatives in stages, moving from one stage to another as they mature their adoption of open government.

To illustrate their path toward implementing the goals of the Directive, Professors Lee and Kwak examine five cases of open government initiatives within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including initiatives by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration. The case studies illustrate how federal agencies are making progress in moving to a more open and transparent government. The model can clearly be adapted by other agencies.