Progress toward achieving goals under the 2015-017 Third Open Government National Action Plan generally ranges from limited to substantial, the White House has said in a mid-term self-assessment of that project.
The plan, released in mid-2015, laid out 45 initiatives that reflect principles of transparency, civic participation, public accountability, and technology and innovation for openness.
The report said that over the first year, agencies “continued to engage with civil society through in-person meetings, email, and phone calls; by sharing information through the U.S. Open Government discussion group; and via agency websites, blog posts, and Twitter accounts. Civil society organizations continued to join the standing monthly working meeting for open government leaders across the Executive Branch on a quarterly basis. Government leaders carrying out commitments also engaged in targeted outreach to civil society stakeholders who work on related topics.”
All of the initiatives were graded as started but only a few were graded as completed. “Many of these initiatives were created with the intention of becoming a regular part of the work being done and, while may be achieved as intended for the purposes of this plan, will remain ongoing efforts,” the report added.
It said, for example, that the government has made substantial progress on increasing the accessibility of government information online; opening data to the public; and expanding public participation in the development of regulations. Progress has been only limited, though, in areas including expanding access to educational resources through open licensing and technology; making it easier for individuals to access their own information; and extending data-driven decisions in federal support to communities.
