Subnational Good Governance (BR0100)

Commitment 1: Develop collaborative actions in order to disseminate knowledge and map good governmental practices to promote subnational involvement.
Lead government institution Ministry of Transparency and Comptroller General of Brazil – CGU
Civil servant in charge for implementing at lead government institution Adenísio Álvaro de Souza
Position - Department General Coordinator/Federative Cooperation and Public oversight Coordination
E-mail [email protected]
Telephone (61) 2020-6516
Other involved actors Government Ministry of Transparency and Comptroller General of Brazil – CGU
City Hall of São Paulo – PMSP
Comptroller General of the Federal District – CGDF
Association of Municipalities of Pernambuco – AMUPE
Municipalities’ Federation of Santa Catarina – FECAM
Civil Society National Internal Control Council - CONACI
Open Knowledge Brazil – OKBr
Public Innovation in Open Government - IGA
Update Institute
Colaboratorium University of São Paulo - COLAB/USP
Status quo or problem/issue to be addressed Difficulties to disseminate concepts and practices of open government on local government and civil society
Main objective Establish collaborative governance for the implementation of open government practices at subnational levels
Commitment short description Disseminate the open government concept, at the subnational level, encourage collaborative practices on public management and promote the implementation of open government activities at states and municipalities.
OGP Challenge addressed by the Commitment Increase the availability of information over governmental activities
Increase civic participation
Commitment relevance Expansion of the integration between social society and public bodies on states and municipalities in order to develop open government actions
Goal Ensure that public managers and civil society get more conscious about the open government practices at the subnational level
Situation Initiated in October 2018
Results description Not available
Implemented until July/2020
Verifiable and measurable milestones to fulfill the Commitment Start date: End date: Responsible:
1. Articulation with entities for the dissemination of concepts and practices on open government.
10/01/2018
07/31/2020
COLAB/USP*
All involved
2. Mapping and research over good practices and cases about open government
11/01/2019
11/30/2019 Update Institute*
COLAB/USP
3. Development of a distance learning course about open government
10/01/2018
07/31/2019 CGU*
IGA
COLAB/USP
4. Development of a distance learning course for practical usage of open government tools about multisectoral subjects
10/01/2018
07/31/2019 Open Knowledge*
IGA
COLAB/USP
5. Development of open educational resources to promote training over open government subjects
02/01/2019
12/31/2019
IGA*
Open Knowledge
COLAB/USP
6. Development of a workshop, devoted to subnational entities, at the National Meeting on Open Government
11/01/2018
12/31/2019
PMSP/SP-Aberta*
CGU
7. Presentation of the subject Open Government to CONACI, searching for the engagement of state and municipal internal control bodies.

11/01/2018

12/31/2018

CONACI/GDF*
CGU
8. Establishment of guidelines to develop a subnational network.
10/01/2018
11/30/2019 PMSP/SP-Aberta*
CONACI/GDF
FECAM

Design Report

1. Open Government on States and Municipalities

Language of the commitment as it appears in the action plan:

“Establish collaborative governance for the implementation of open government practices at subnational levels.”

1.1. Articulation with entities for the dissemination of concepts and practices on open government

1.2. Mapping and research over good practices and cases about open government

1.3. Development of a distance learning course about open government

1.4. Development of a distance learning course for practical usage of open government tools about multisectoral subjects

1.5. Development of open educational resources to promote training over open government subjects

1.6. Development of a workshop, devoted to subnational entities, at the National Meeting on Open Government

1.7. Presentation of the subject Open Government to CONACI, [1] searching for the engagement of state and municipal internal control bodies.

1.8. Establishment of guidelines to develop a subnational network.

Start Date: January 2018......                                                                            End Date: July 2020

Editorial note: to see the complete text, visit https://www.opengovpartnership.org/documents/brazil-national-action-plan-2018-2020/.

Context and Objectives

The commitment aims to address the difficulties of disseminating open government concepts and practices among the state and municipal levels, where open government culture is less prevalent. In spite of past improvements, only 9 percent of cities earned a higher standard according to the Brazil Transparency Index. [2] Further, at least two states (Amapá and Rio de Janeiro) still struggle with transparency in their daily routines. [3] Academics have identified the same gap with civic participation and public accountability practices. [4]

To address this problem, this commitment aims to expand the integration of civil society and government agencies in states and municipalities. According to Vanessa Menegueti [5] (Instituto de Governo Aberto) and Valdênia Santos Souza [6] (Comptroller-General’s Office of the Union), open government practices increase the regional engagement of civil society and government. Gabriela Boechat [7] (Office of the Mayor of São Paulo) also uses open government to increase freedom of information practices in states and municipalities. [8]

Solutions proposed by the commitment include mapping and researching good practices that can be used at the subnational level (Milestones 1.1 and 1.2). It also calls for promoting these practices through different methods, including distance learning courses, open educational materials, workshops, and presentations at relevant events (1.3−1.7). The commitment encourages sustainability of these efforts, establishing guidelines to develop a subnational network (1.8).

The commitment is specific enough to be verifiable and includes deliverables that can be observed. These deliverables include specific educational materials (e.g., 1.3 and 1.4), events for disseminating the results of the government (1.7), and guidelines for policy implementation (1.8).

The commitment could indirectly address all potential OGP values but fails to do so as it is currently written. For commitments to be considered relevant to OGP values, their milestones need to incorporate a component related to the dissemination of information to the public (i.e., access to information), include some kind of civil society participation component (i.e., civic participation), or improve opportunities for the public to hold officials accountable (i.e., public accountability).

If fully implemented, the commitment will raise awareness of open government practices at subnational levels. This will happen, for example, if new audiences attend the courses and events promoted by the commitment and if best practices and guidelines inspire integration of social society with subnational public bodies. However, because the breadth and depth of the commitment’s reach are uncertain, its potential impact is minor. Raising awareness among subnational audiences is, nevertheless, an important first step to promote change.

Next steps

The commitment’s relevance is high, and it should be prioritized in future action plans. The federal government is usually more advanced in open government practices than are subnational governments, [9] as reflected in a wide range of transparency indexes. [10]

To increase the commitment’s impact, the milestones could include activities that go beyond raising awareness to build capacity. For example, Milestone 1.8 creates guidelines for a subnational network. The next plan could detail how the network would operate. Another possibility is to spearhead implementation of specific open government practices at subnational levels and promote peer learning with OGP participants in Sao Paulo.

Transitional Results Report

Commitment 1. Open government in states and municipalities

Completion: SUBSTANTIAL

This commitment aimed to promote collaborative actions to disseminate knowledge and share good practices in open government by fostering engagement with subnational actors. Seven out of the eight milestones were successfully achieved.

Milestone 1, aimed at articulating the dissemination of open government concepts and practices, gathered information from commitment actors rather than a broader set of stakeholders. [1] Milestone 2, which sought to map and research cases and good practices on open government, was not completed as planned following institutional changes in the civil society responsible for its implementation and the lack of human and financial resources by other participating organizations to assume responsibility. [2]

Milestones 3, 4, and 5 achieved meaningful completion. Milestone 3 involved the development of a distance learning course on open government, [3] which was completed by 4,554 participants by October 8, 2021. [4] Milestone 4 saw the creation of a course on Data Journalism for Local Coverage. [5] Milestone 5 resulted in the development of the Open Government board game. [6] Both the courses and the game serve as valuable educational resources, contributing to knowledge dissemination and capacity building on open government principles. [7]

For Milestone 6, specific workshops on open government at the subnational level were developed and implemented at the III and IV Brazilian National Meeting on Open Government in December 2018 and November 2019. [8] These ongoing events aim to facilitate wide discussions on open government and represent an important space for knowledge sharing and dissemination of best practices.

For Milestone 7, the open government theme was presented to the National Internal Control Council (CONACI) on 30 November 2018, with the aim of engaging and informing internal control bodies at the subnational level. [9] Milestone 8 was successfully accomplished with the development of the “Guidelines for the Formation of Open Government Networks in States and Municipalities.” [10]