Open Government Scan of Lebanon
More and more countries have begun to introduce open government reforms as a catalyst for attaining broader policy goals such as improving democracy, fostering inclusive growth, and increasing trust. Following this trend, successive Lebanese governments have taken various steps to implement reforms based on the open government principles and aligned with the OECD Recommendation on Open Government. This Scan aims to support the government’s efforts to build more transparent, participatory, and accountable institutions that can restore citizens’ trust and promote inclusive growth. It is based on a survey, a peer review mission and in depth interviews at both the central level and in the municipalities of Jbeil (Byblos) and Schweir. The Scan analyzes priority areas of reform and provides actionable recommendations to further embed the principles and practices of open government within policy-making cycles and to evaluate their impacts.
Towards an open government strategy
Countries worldwide have been designing and implementing open government initiatives for many decades. With the creation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), countries have started creating open government action plans that assemble a series of initiatives, include a calendar and milestones. While action plans have enabled governments to unite several actors around the same vision and create further awareness about ongoing initiatives, they do not offer a long-term vision with strategic objectives and corresponding actions. The OECD Recommendation on Open Government (hereafter “the OECD Recommendation”) therefore recommends to “take measures, in all branches and at all levels of the government, to develop and implement open government strategies and initiatives in collaboration with stakeholders and to foster commitment from politicians, members of parliament, senior public managers and public officials, to ensure successful implementation and prevent or overcome obstacles related to resistance to change” (OECD, 2017[1]).