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Open Government Scan of Lebanon

image of 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.

English

Open state

Open government is a culture of governance that does not only apply to the executive branch of the state, but that can apply to all state institutions. Despite most open government initiatives worldwide focusing on the executive, countries are designing specific strategies and initiatives for an “open judiciary”, “open parliament”, “open subnational government” and “open independent institutions”, or are even adopting an open state approach. Costa Rica for example signed the first-ever Declaration for the Creation of an Open State in 2016, and Colombia is the first country to elaborate an Open State Policy (OECD, 2019[6]). An open state is “when all public institutions of the executive, parliament and the judiciary, independent public institutions, and all levels of government join forces and collaborate with civil society, academia, the media and the private sector to design and implement a reform agenda to make public governance more transparent, accountable and participatory” (OECD, 2016[2]).The OECD therefore recommends that states “promote a progressive move from the concept of open government towards that of open state, while recognising the respective roles, prerogatives and overall independence of all concerned parties” (OECD, 2016[2]).

English

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