Open government

<p>Open government is the governing <a href="/facts/Doctrine/MtDwPUVg">doctrine</a> which maintains that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight. In its broadest construction, it opposes <a href="/facts/National_interest/wIaK1SRI">reason of state</a> and other considerations which have tended to legitimize extensive state <a href="/facts/Secrecy/dV5jzCQk">secrecy</a>. The origins of open-government arguments can be dated to the time of the European <a href="/facts/Age_of_Enlightenment/Uj2Fa8Mk">Age of Enlightenment</a>, when philosophers debated the proper construction of a then nascent <a href="/facts/Democratic_society/3tLdVS1C">democratic society</a>. It is also increasingly being associated with the concept of democratic reform. The United Nations <a href="/facts/Sustainable_Development_Goal_16/q8R032c4">Sustainable Development Goal 16</a> for example advocates for public access to information as a criterion for ensuring accountable and inclusive institutions.
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Open government open-in-new

Open government