How Open Government Principles Strengthen Digital Governance

While local governments are rapidly digitizing public services, data systems, and decision-making, digital governanceAs evolving technologies present new opportunities for governments and citizens to advance openness and accountability, OGP participating governments are working to create policies that deal with the ... More has become a core democratic challenge. As governments increasingly rely on digital tools to deliver services and allocate public resources, these systems shape who is seen, heard, and served by the government. The fast adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated tools has outpaced the safeguards needed to prevent bias or discrimination and limited mechanisms for citizens to understand, question, or appeal digital decisions.

At the local level, where governments directly deliver services to residents, the stakes are particularly high. Yet many local governments built their public programs on fragmented data systems, which makes it hard to understand how services are delivered or how decisions are made. This technical issue is often compounded by the lack of transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More, oversight, and public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio... in the design and implementation of digital systems. If left unaddressed, these challenges risk reinforcing inequality, obscuring the rationale behind life-changing decisions, and eroding public trust.

The OECD’s Digital Government Policy Framework report highlights that an “open by default” approach strengthens digital governance by embedding transparency, inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More, and collaboration into how digital systems are designed and used. By promoting open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici..., open algorithms, and participatory digital platforms, this approach helps democratize decision-making, break down institutional silos, and ensure that digital government supports more inclusive public services.

OGP Local members are embedding open government values directly into their digital governance systems, ensuring that technology strengthens democracy rather than undermining it.

Strengthening Public Oversight of Social Welfare Data to Improve Support

A key government service is providing social assistance through welfare programs. Yet the data that makes these programs run is often fragmented, which makes it difficult for public officials to coordinate across agencies and monitor how funds are spent. These issues make it more difficult to properly allocate support for those in need, which can damage public trust in these essential programs.

Tackling this challenge requires redesigning data systems and rethinking how the government uses them to run social assistance programs. Doing so will ensure that such information is easy to find and understand for both public officials and members of the public, which makes it easier to provide input and oversight into these programs.

See how Yogyakarta (Indonesia) has made these kinds of improvements by integrating social assistance information across government offices, publishing public dashboards, and creating channels for citizens to report issues.

Making Government Use of AI and Algorithms Transparent and Accountable

Governments are increasingly using AI and automated tools to shape public decisions. Yet these systems often operate without public oversight: a key issue is that officials and members of the public often lack channels to question, review, and improve algorithmic decision-making. Without avenues for scrutiny, algorithmic systems risk making erroneous decisions that deeply affect citizens’ lives. The challenge is not the use of algorithms, but their deployment without democratic safeguards.

To address this issue, local governments can develop mechanisms that make automated decisions both visible and auditable, which can help transform citizens from passive users into active participants in monitoring digital governance systems.

See how Valencia (Spain) and Scotland (UK) created public registries that document how the public sector uses AI and automated systems, as a way to improve oversight of these key decision-making tools.

Giving Citizens a Voice in How Local Government Uses AI

Local governments often do not assess social risks early in the process of designing how they will use AI and other digital tools. Community engagement is essential to identifying these risks, as well as setting priorities and guardrails for how local government agencies will use these powerful tools in decision-making. Without this input, local governments miss an opportunity to identify and prevent problems, which can damage legitimacy and public trust as digital systems are deployed.

To address this gap, local governments can create processes for residents to define acceptable uses of AI and algorithms in decision-making, identify potential harms, and create pathways for redress before digital systems are implemented.

See how Austin (USA) brought together residents, civil society, and city staff to shape the rules for responsible AI use in the city before these tools are deployed.

Looking Ahead

As digital systems increasingly support public decision-making and service delivery, local governments are taking concrete steps to promote accountable decision-making, fair access to public services, and public trust. To build on this progress, local governments will need to build capacity and knowledge, embed open government approaches into digital governance policies, and ensure that digital systems are governed responsibly and effectively.

While resources such as OGP’s Open Gov Guide chapter on automated decision-makingAs governments are increasingly turning to algorithms to support decision-making for public services, transparency and accountability of algorithm use is necessary to minimize their harm and increase ... More, algorithms, and artificial intelligence provide practical policy guidance, peer exchange and collaborative learning can help governments translate this guidance into practice.

Initiatives such as the OGP Open Algorithms Network (OAN), which Local government representatives can join, allow governments to share lessons, adapt proven approaches, and reduce the risk of repeating common governance failures. These platforms create structured opportunities to connect experiences, pilot ideas, and scale innovation across contexts.

At the same time, programs like the Buenos Aires AI Workshop, supported by OGP’s digital governance program funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), help make oversight, inclusion, and accountability structural features of digital governance.

Taken together, these efforts show how local governments can translate successful practices into shared norms that anchor digital transformationGovernments are working to increase access to and quality of government services, improve transparency, and create opportunities for participation by using information and communications technologies.... More in democratic values.