Transparency, Accountability, Collaboration: Open Government in the U.S. and the U.K.

Through the launch of data.gov and the Open Government Initiative, President Obama has begun a major push to open data to the public, and is taking strides to foster transparency, participation and collaboration with the American people. Across the pond, Gordon Brown is leading an unprecedented effort to make the "power of information" a guiding principle of the UK government; meanwhile, David Cameron s new conservative party is running on a platform of transparency, accountability, and choice and has committed to radical new openness policies, like publishing the details of every government contract online.

James CrabtreeAndrew McLaughlinBoth countries clearly have much to learn from each other, especially given the many questions that remain: How much data should governments share? How should the public be involved in the policymaking conversation? How might open data bring about a shift in the balance of power between the citizen and the state? Better information will enable citizens, small businesses and entrepreneurs to make better decisions and innovate new products, potentially underpinning the growth of a new generation of information-age business that could help lift America out of its economic malaise. But information also redraws the boundary between people and their government and, as Britain's David Cameron has shown, there is a real battle for political mastery of this space.

Join NDN and the New Policy Institute at 12 pm on Friday, February 19th for a lunchtime conversation about the changes the open government initiatives in the U.S. and the U.K. are ushering in. Joining us will be Andrew McLaughlin, Deputy Chief Technology Officer at the White House one of the offices spearheading the Open Government Initiative and James Crabtree, an editor at Prospect Magazine in Britain, and a trustee of MySociety.org, one of the world's leading civic website builders, and a leading commentator on the British government s efforts at openness.

Participants

Andrew McLaughlin
Deputy Chief Technology Officer, White House

James Crabtree
Managing editor, Prospect Magazine
Trustee, MySociety.org

Details

Friday, February 19th, 12pm
NDN: 729 15th St. NW, 1st Floor
Lunch will be served
Please RSVP here
Live webcast beginning at 12:15 pm

 

Event Date: 
Friday, February 19, 2010 - 7:00am