Keep reading for 2014’s first look at #OpenGov news, events and analysis including an “Open Data Barometer,” a massive bribery scandal in China, and a look towards the prospects for Open Data in 2014.

National News

• According to the Open Data Barometer, a project of the Open Data Institute and the World Wide Web Foundation that intends to measure the impact of open-data initiatives around the world, the US is the second strongest country behind the UK. (Federal Computer Week)
• The Chamber of Commerce is reportedly ready to go all in against Tea Party influence on the GOP. The pro-business group is planning to spend at least $50 million to support mainstream Republicans against Tea Party primary challengers with an eye towards taking back the Senate in the fall. (The Hill)
• In advance of releasing the Open Data 500 study, which will look at how companies are using open government data, Governance Lab has released a preview list of 500 companies that make use of open data. The companies hail many sectors, including health, transportation, energy, and finance. (Executive Government)

International News

• Twitter is growing in popularity in Germany and users are coming up with interesting ways to leverage the social network to shed more light on government activities. Political advisor and blogger Martin Fuchs is pursuing a campaign to get lawmakers to publicize their meetings with lobbyists using the #lobbytweet hashtag. (Global Voices)
• Almost the entire legislature in Hengyang, a city in southern China, was dismissed after a massive bribery scandal was uncovered last month. 512 lawmakers were dismissed for accepting millions of dollars in bribes.  (Global Voices)

State and Local News

• 2013 was a big year for open government data, but 2014 is already shaping up to top it. (civic.io)

Do you want to track transparency news? You can view our feed on our Netvibes page and follow the progress of relevant bills on our Scout page. You can also get 2Day in #OpenGov sent directly to your preferred news reader!