Making Open Government Work

Features

Description

Managers of public organizations face strong, and increasing, demands to open up their internal processes to public scrutiny. A more active and critical role in society, advances in communications technology, the 24-hour media cycle and growing numbers of independent regulators all add to the pressure on governments to become more accountable and transparent.

This book analyses these pressures by examining the key concepts of accountability and transparency and the main institutional mechanisms of open government. It also discusses the problems of accountability and transparency that arise for public managers sharing responsibilities across jurisdictional boundaries and in public-private partnerships.

Drawing on examples from around the world, this engaging and accessible text provides a balanced account of open government which emerges as both a challenge and an aid to more effective public management. Review: 'A concise and considered overview of the challenges of open government and how to deal with them.

Eloquent and elegant, this is a must-read for reflective public managers.' - Mark Bovens, Utrecht University 'At a time when the notions of fuzzy governance and fuzzy accountability are topics of increasing concern, Richard Mulgan maps and plots a course through a key challenge for public managers: delivering greater accountability and transparency, on the one hand, while also increasing levels of performance and efficiency, on the other.

From North America to Northern Australia - and all points in between - this is a book that deserves to be read.' - Matthew Flinders, University of Sheffield and Murdoch University 'Drawing on a range of fascinating examples from multiple countries across the globe, Richard Mulgan has produced an unusual book that takes the reader inside the policy and administrative world and assesses efforts to balance transparency and accountability in all their variability.' - Beryl A.

Radin, Georgetown University