Toward an integrative assessment of open government: Proposing conceptual lenses and practical components

Abstract

Open government, as a concept, should be understood through a holistic perspective. It is not enough to provide access to government information without redesigning processes and changing regulations. However, little work has been done to measure the components of open government and provide guidance for implementation. We argue that one way to start filling this gap is through the development of models that integrate concepts, theories, and practical perspectives. However, very few of the existing models attempt to explain the functions and characteristics of open government, which could then provide guidance for its development. This article is based on two main sources in order to propose an integrative open government assessment model: (1) a literature review of previous assessment models and theoretical perspectives to build a richer integrative model that goes beyond websites and (2) the results from a longitudinal research study performed from 2006 to 2012 using a multicomponent model to measure open government websites from a practitioners’ perspective. As a result, this article identifies knowledge gaps and proposes a new evaluation approach to open government based on two sets of components: one from practice and the other one from theory. This model contributes to existing knowledge and helps government organizations to better understand and implement open government initiatives.

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