As state governments move toward total financial transparency, there is at least one place to look for information on how the states are doing in providing constituents with data on where money is being spent and what results are being achieved with the investment. Earlier blog posts have elaborated on the current ‘shortcomings’ of stateRead… Read more »
Part-Pakistani, part-American, I was conceived half-way across the world in Malawi, and my roots spring from the villages of rural India. Until a college scholarship brought me to America, I was a complete product of the developing world. I grew up with a fierce desire to make things better, I often wished to be PrimeRead… Read more »
Civic software-as-a-service can make what seems like a new burden for cities an opportunity to collaborate Yesterday, citizens in the state of California amended their constitution to make it more open and transparent: Voters approved Tuesday a measure to give greater protection to California’s open meeting and public records laws by putting them in theRead… Read more »
Listen live to my radio interview tomorrow morning about U.S. House of Representatives’ Bill H.R. 4031 – the “Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014” and what it could mean for federal employees at VA and in other federal agencies. To hear that interview, tune in to the “Legal Loop” segment of theRead… Read more »
Around the country, folks are making the road by walking when it comes to civic innovation and they’re forming new relationships in the process. At Code for America, we get excited when people participate in the democratic process in meaningful and interesting ways. Two projects in Boston show the importance of collaboration between residents andRead… Read more »
If you have been involved in anything with a social media component this past year, then you have no doubt heard people talking about social media metrics, ROI, ROE, etc. These are basically different measures that people are using to define success, or failure, in the use of social media channels. Not too long ago,Read… Read more »
How do you define generosity? Saturday evening, I attended a fundraiser to support a local animal shelter, Mutts Matter Rescue. Sunday morning, after a steaming cuppa’ Joe, I sat down to catch up on various periodicals in preparation for the business week. An article in the online Inc. Magazine caught my eye titled “How TrulyRead… Read more »
Open data is more than just a national concern, as countries often share and compare information with each other. Thus, calls for transparency must also extend internationally. As you may recall from a previous post, one of the requirements outlined in out government’s National Action Plan (NAP) is that foreign aid funding be reported inRead… Read more »
The UK Government has just released the alpha version of data.parliament.uk – – a site designed to host open data on the UK Parliament and its proceedings. (An Alpha for those who don’t understand the term is a first release of a software product that is usually tested only by the developers). The alpha releaseRead… Read more »
For a host of reasons, many organizations have been taking a Digital DIY (Do It Yourself) approach to pursuing technology initiatives, both externally and internally. Though the motivations for these approaches are understandable and seem logical on the surface, more often than not they are suboptimal strategies that aren’t in an organization’s best interests. ARead… Read more »