Rebuilding Trust In Government Through Transparency

On June 19, 2015, Third Way hosted a mini-conference on different approaches to improve transparency and efforts to increase citizen trust in government.

Keynote Remarks

By Aneesh Chopra, 1st Chief Technology Officer of the U.S.

Mr. Chopra spoke about harnessing innovation and tapping into American enterprise through data transparency to transform government. He noted that moving from a "retail" to a "wholesale" model for delivering information via bulk downloads and open APIs (application programming interfaces) enables nonprofits, businesses, and citizens to make better use of federal information. For example, companies can tap into healthcare.gov and create their own interfaces to help employees make more informed decisions about health insurance plans. View his presentation here.

Case Study Presentation: The Political Effects of the UK Taxpayer Receipt

by Ethan Porter, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago and Lucy Barnes, University of Kent

Dr. Barnes and Mr. Porter presented original research they conducted in the United Kingdom on the political effects of a taxpayer receipt. They found that compared to a control group, citizens who were sent a taxpayer receipt displayed increased political knowledge and a greater willingness to participate in the political process. View their presentation here.

Panel Discussion: Can the US rebuild trust in government through transparency?

Moderated by E.J. Dionne, Jr, The Washington Post, Democracy: A Journal of Ideas

Featuring: Rachna Choudhry, POPVOX; Cait Lamberton, Katz School of Business, University of Pittsburgh; John Sides, George Washington University, The Washington Post’s The Monkey Case; and Michelle Diggles, Third Way

Panelists considered how transparency impacts trust in government and can lead to a greater citizen satisfaction. They also discussed harnessing technology to both deliver information and allow people to directly and effectively communicate with their legislators.