This document outlines steps for using open data to promote good governance through transparency and accountability. It discusses how making civil servant expenses public can discourage misuse of funds. While open data is important, it requires technical expertise to transform it into useful information for the public. The document then provides an example case study of working with Kosovo's government to develop tools to visualize the country's procurement data in order to combat corruption in public contracting. It describes a six step process for this project that concluded with disseminating knowledge and establishing a feedback loop between data, policy, and civic action.

1. Open Data
Good Governance
@GeorgesLabreche

2. The Idea
● Open data contributes to good governance
by promoting transparency and
accountability.
● For instance, if details of a civil servant’s
official expenses are publicly available then
he or she will be discouraged from
mishandling his or her allocated lunch
money.

3. Realities and Challenges
● Open data by itself is useless.
● Data needs to be transformed into
knowledge and information for all.
● This data transformation process requires
expensive technical expertise.
● Even when it is accessible, the value of the
data lies in its consumption.

4. Scope
● Kosovo ranks 111/130 in Transparency
International’s Corruption Perception Index
(2013).
● Many of Kosovo’s corruption cases occur in
procurements for public contracts.
● Define and implement an anti-corruption
strategy with procurement data.

5. Step 1: Advocate for Open Data

6. Step 2: Project Definition
● Collaboration with UNDP Kosovo,
Municipality of Gjakova, and the Mayor of
Gjakova.
● Develop visualizers for Gjakova procurement
data (from 2011 to 2014).
● Secure a commitment from the Municipality
to release future procurement data.

7. Step 3a: Open and Host Data

8. Step 3b: Don’t pen it the wrong way

9. Step 4: Involve Civil Society

10. Step 5: Disseminate Knowledge

11. Step 6: Close The Feedback Loop
● Policy making.
● Data journalism.
● Action.
● Repeat.

12. Some Positive Spillovers
● Digital Capacity Building.
● Process repeatability.
● Platform scalability.
● Instead of constantly having to chase for
data, organizations are now starting to
approach us on their own.

13. Faleminderit
@GeorgesLabreche
@OpenDataKosovo
georges@opendatakosovo.org
http://opendatakosovo.org