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 INTRODUCTION

President Obama has made open government a high priority. Upon taking office, he pledged his Administration to work towards "an unprecedented level of openness in Government." As a result, for more than two and a half years federal agencies have done much to make information about how government works more accessible to the public and, beyond that, to solicit citizens' participation in government decision-making. Thus agencies have disclosed more information requested under the Freedom of Information Act. They have devised ambitious Open Government Plans designed to increase opportunities for public engagement. They have made voluminous information available on government websites. They have shined more light on federal spending. They have even undertaken to provide more disclosure of previously classified information and other types of information normally withheld from the public. Finally, agencies have also used technology in innovative ways that leverage government information to improve the lives of citizens, and have successfully encouraged those outside of government to do the same.

Yet much work remains. There is no "Open" button that can be pushed to render the federal government more open overnight. Creating a more open government instead requires, as the President has instructed, sustained commitment—by public officials and employees at all levels of government. This Status Report provides a review of the progress the Administration has made over the past two and a half years towards forging a more open relationship between citizens and government, and anticipates next steps towards realizing even more fully the President's commitment to unprecedented openness.

I. OVERVIEW

The Purposes of Open Government

Open government is a means, not an end. As President Obama has made clear, greater openness "will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government." These twin goals—a stronger democracy, a more effective government—have motivated the Administration's efforts in this area.

Openness makes our democracy stronger in several ways. Where citizens can observe the workings of government, they become more invested in what government does. Government openness empowers citizens as well, as they are more able to express their views about policy decisions that affect them. Openness makes democracy stronger also by encouraging government officials to perform better, for where government is more open, they are more likely to be held accountable for their decisions, both good and bad. Similarly, a more open government makes it easier for the media and watchdog groups to expose, and therefore deter, improper or otherwise undesirable influences on policymakers. In short, openness enhances democracy by giving citizens a greater voice in what government does, and promoting government action that advances the interests of all, not just a privileged few.

Openness promotes a more efficient and effective government too. When government is more open, bad ideas more readily yield to good ideas. After all, not all expertise resides within