Our friends at OMBWatch just published an interesting post highlighting several studies that compare and contrast the policy and practice of transparency of the US and other countries based on comparative analysis of FOIA, foreign aid, and budgets and revenues. The post, entitled “Global Studies Highlight U.S. Transparency Strengths, Weaknesses” “…provide[s] useful measures of U.S. openness relative to real-world conditions, in addition to highlighting global best practices and alternative approaches.” It also references a group created in September 2011 called the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and highlights the US’ role in the group and their joint Open Government Declaration signed by the US and 7 other countries — with 38 more countries signing in March 2012. Read the rest of the post to find out where the US ranks among the countries of the world in terms of transparency and open government.
Here’s the list of studies cited by OMBwatch:
- audit of FOIA laws in 105 countries and the European Union by the Associated Press (AP)
- Global Right to Information Rating released by Access Info Europe and the Centre for Law and Democracy
- Quality of Official Development Assistance report, published Nov. 14 by the Brookings Institution and the Center for Global Development
- “The Money Trail: Ranking Donor Transparency in Foreign Aid” by Anirban Ghosh and Homi Kharas, published in the November issue of the journal World Development (available to subscribers only 🙁 )
- Aid Transparency Index 2011 by the organization Publish What You Fund
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