Government at a Glance 2013
Government at a Glance 2013 provides readers with a dashboard of key indicators assembled with the goal of contributing to the analysis and international comparison of public sector performance. Indicators on government revenues, expenditures, and employment are provided alongside key output and outcome data in the sectors of education and health. Government at a Glance also includes indicators on key governance and public management issues, such as transparency in governance, regulatory governance, new ways in delivering public services and HRM and compensation practices in the public service. While measuring government performance has long been recognized as playing an important role in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the public administration, following the economic crisis and fiscal tightening in many member countries, good indicators are needed more than ever to help governments make informed decisions regarding tough choices and help restore confidence in government institutions.
Open government data
Public organisations produce and collect a broad range of data in order to perform their tasks. Sharing these data with the public leads to greater transparency and increases public awareness of government activities. Open government data (OGD) can also help generate insights on how to improve government performance and hold governments accountable. OGD provide also the basis for meaningful public participation and collaboration in the creation of innovative, responsive and value-added services and policies, and are ultimately expected to improve the decision making of both governments and individuals. The public shall be able to use government data for making more informed decisions that could increase the quality of their lives; while governments are expected to more easily access a wider range of datasets to foster evidence-based decision making. Finally, OGD are seen as a potential source of economic growth, and as a basis for new forms of entrepreneurships and social innovation.