On Board is a tool by Michigan Suburbs Alliance that provides local officials with a secure database where they can access and manage information about boards and commissions. Simultaneously, it helps residents find information about these bodies and get involved.
Continue readingSecret financing in Egyptian presidential elections
Next week, Egyptians are almost certain to elect as their new president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Unfortunately, Egypt’s current political finance regime is cloaked in darkness — and no one will be able to follow the money.
Continue readingGetting secrecy out of science
Last night, a congressional committee adopted an amendment that limits the NSA’s influence on NIST - the first step to getting the secrecy out of science.
Continue readingIn both the public and private sector, power is the power to hide
Power may be the power to influence others in public debate. But we also see that power being used to pressure us into allowing the powerful to remain secret — even as the rest of us become more visible.
Continue readingHyperlinks and hope: Data.gov five years out
Five years into the Obama administration’s experiment with Data.gov marks a good time to ask — is the experiment a success?
Continue readingSunlight and secrecy in the Upper Midwest
On campaign finance as in other areas of policy, the formerly similar states of Minnesota and Wisconsin are on two different paths. This Upper Midwestern divergence is a microcosmic example of campaign finance politics in the country as a whole.
Continue readingTransparency Case Study: Lobbying disclosure in Canada
While there are many admirable features of Canadian lobbying regulation, current disclosure thresholds and requirements actually create a subtly perverse incentive structure that drives activity into the shadows.
Continue readingSenate should consider real time transparency to counteract McCutcheon
At a hearing today, the Senate addressed the issues of more money in politics that stem from the Citizens United and McCutcheon cases. One solution to consider: real-time transparency.
Continue readingTransparency fail: Obama committee provides donor list but prohibits publication
Organizing for Action released a list of top donors Friday, and while the group made a step in the direction of better disclosure, it promptly took two steps back.
Continue readingU.S. image abroad harmed by McCutcheon decision
The McCutcheon decision should be an “occasion for outrage.” Unfortunately in the U.S., voters seem to have become accustomed to the very things that disgust them.
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