On March 26th, the World Justice Project (WJP) will launch the WJP Open Government Index™ 2015, the first effort to measure government openness based on the general public’s perspective. The Index uses four dimensions to measure government openness: publicized laws and government data, right to information, civic participation, and complaint mechanisms.

The WJP Open Government Index examines practical, everyday situations, such as whether people can receive public information when they request it, and whether people can raise their voice and participate in decision-making processes. Ranks and scores are derived from more than 100,000 household surveys and in-country expert questionnaires, covering a total of 102 countries and jurisdictions.

In addition to scores and rankings, the WJP Open Government Index 2015 tracks the experiences of ordinary people as they request information from the government, showing country-specific gender and socio-economic breakouts to selected survey answers.  An accompanying report will also provide global insights on the relationship between open government and other aspects of governance and development, such as participation in the Open Government Partnership, gender equality, and economic development.

WJP Open Government Index

The WJP Open Government Index 2015 is a product of two years of development, consultation, and vetting with policy makers, civil society groups, and academics from several countries. It is our hope that over time this diagnostic tool will help identify strengths and weaknesses in the countries under review and encourage policy choices that enhance openness, promote effective public oversight, and increase public and private sector collaboration.

Stay tuned to our website and the social media hashtag #OGIndex on launch day for the downloadable report, an interactive data website, and infographics to share with your networks.

Please direct media requests to: [email protected]

 

 

 

WJP Staff
title bar

Read More

title bar

VIDEO: “Ideas to Action: How Your Bar Can Promote the Rule of Law Right Now”

How can U.S. bar leaders and lawyers take an active role in addressing the nation’s significant rule of law challenges? That was the topic of a recent 21st Century Lawyer program hosted by the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP) in partnership with the World Justice Project (WJP) Lawyers Defending American Democracy, the Divided Community Project at Ohio State University, and the American Bar Association (ABA).

Read More

WJP’s Mexico States Rule of Law Index is Identifying—and Advancing—Reforms that Work

Last month, in Mexico City’s historic center, a diverse group of state and federal officials took the stage to explore what’s working to improve the rule of law in Mexico. Addressing an audience of policymakers, donors, advocates, and business leaders, the officials discussed progress such as reduced corruption in the state of Sinaloa, safer communities in Chihuahua, greater access to justice in Querétaro, enhanced regulatory enforcement in Sonora, and improved labor protections across the country.

Read More