norway: independent reporting mechanism (irm) progress ...€¦ · this report was prepared by...

This report was prepared by Christopher Wilson of the engine room with research assistance provided by Lena Olsen of the International Law and Policy Institute

Norway:IndependentReportingMechanism(IRM)ProgressReport2013-2014ExecutiveSummary:Norway.........................................................................................2

I.NationalparticipationinOGP.................................................................................11

II.Actionplandevelopment........................................................................................14III.Actionplanimplementation.................................................................................18

IV.Analysisofactionplancontents..........................................................................201.Publicreviewandpublicconsultation........................................................................252.Abetteroverviewofcommittees,boards,andcouncils-

Morepublicaccesstoinformationandbetteropportunitiesforfurtheruse273.“Simplify”(“Enkeltoggreit”)..........................................................................................294.ElectronicPublicRecord(OEP)-(Offentligelektroniskpostjournal)..............315.Re-useofpublicsectorinformation(PSI)..................................................................336.Accesstohealthdata..........................................................................................................357.RenewaloftheGovernment’swebsite(regjeringen.no–government.no).....378.DeclarationofprinciplesforinteractionanddialoguewithNGOs....................399.SimplificationanddigitaladministrationofarrangementsforNGOs..............4110.Registeringandpreservingdigitaldocumentationproducedbypublicbodies.................................................................................................................4311.TheNorwegianCitizenSurvey(Innbyggerundersøkelsen)................................4512.Whistle-blowing................................................................................................................4713.Strengthenedinformationexchangeformoreefficientcrimepreventionandcombating....................................................................................................................4914.Strengtheningthetransparencyofpublicauthoritiesandadministration.5115.E-Governmentwithanend-userfocus......................................................................5416.PlainLegalLanguage.......................................................................................................5617.NorwegianGrantsPortal(MFA)..................................................................................5818.Aninternationalconventionoragreementonfinancialtransparency.........6019.Reducingconflictsofinterests–Post-employmentregulations......................6220.CentreforIntegrityintheDefenceSector...............................................................6421.Modernisingpublicgovernance..................................................................................6622.Transparencyinthemanagementofoilandgasrevenue..................................6823.TransparencyinthemanagementoftheGovernmentPensionFund(GPF)7024.Transparencyandanti-corruptionefforts..............................................................7225.Themunicipalsector.......................................................................................................74

V.Process:Self-assessment.........................................................................................76

VI.Countrycontext.........................................................................................................78VII.Generalrecommendations..................................................................................80

VIII.Methodologyandsources...................................................................................83

IX.Eligibilityrequirements.........................................................................................86

Embargoed – not for quotation or citation

This report was prepared by Christopher Wilson of the engine room with research assistance provided by Lena Olsen of the International Law and Policy Institute

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ExecutiveSummary:NorwayIndependentReportingMechanism(IRM)ProgressReport2013-2014

TheOpenGovernmentPartnership(OGP)isavoluntaryinternationalinitiativethataimstosecurecommitmentsfromgovernmentstotheircitizenrytopromotetransparency,empowercitizens,fightcorruption,andharnessnewtechnologiestostrengthengovernance.TheIndependentReportingMechanism(IRM)carriesoutabiannualreviewoftheactivitiesofeachOGPparticipatingcountry.

NorwayofficiallybeganparticipatinginOGPinSeptember2011,whenPrimeMinisterJensStoltenberglaunchedtheinitiativealongwithotherheadsofstateinNewYork.

TheMinistryofLocalGovernmentandModernisation(KMD)isresponsibleforcoordinatingOGPinthecountry.KMD’smandateisbasedsolelyoninter-ministerialdirectives,anditisnotlegallymandated.TheMinistryofForeignAffairs(MFA)currentlyfinancesKMD’scoordinationactivities.ThegovernmenthasestablishedanOGPCounciltocoordinateengagementwithcivilsociety.TheCouncilparticipatesinallOGP-relatedmeetingshostedbyKMD.

OGPPROCESSCountriesparticipatingintheOGPfollowaprocessforconsultationduringdevelopmentoftheirOGPactionplanandduringimplementation.

TheNorwegianGovernmentinvited27civilsocietyorganisations(CSOs)tosubmitcommitmentsforthenextactionplan.Italsoinvited100CSOrepresentativestoadialoguemeeting.Despitetheseefforts,CSOengagementintheOGPprocesswaslow,duesignificantlytothetimingandpresentationofconsultations.

KMDorganisedthreemeetingstoreviewprogressduringactionplanimplementationandinvitedbetween100and150CSOandgovernmentrepresentatives.Whilethemeetingswererelativelywellattended,theIRMresearchersnotedalackofengagementandparticipationbyattendees.

KMDcirculatedbyemailadraftself-assessmentreportto87CSOandgovernmentrepresentatives.Atthetimeofwritingthisreport,however,thegovernmenthadnotpublishedafinalversionofthereport.

AtaglanceMembersince: 2012Numberofcommitments: 25

LevelofCompletion:Completed: 8of25Substantial: 7of25Limited: 6of25Notstarted: 0of25Unclear: 3of25Officiallywithdrawn: 1of25

Timing:Onschedule: 14of25

CommitmentEmphasis:Accesstoinformation: 16of25Civicparticipation: 3of25Accountability: 5of25Tech&innovationfortransparency&accountability: 4of25

NumberofCommitmentsthatWere:ClearlyrelevanttoanOGPvalue: 22of25Oftransformativepotentialimpact: 0of25Substantiallyorcompletelyimplemented:15of25Allthree(✪):0of25

N o rway's sec ond ac tion p lan showed signific ant improvements over the first, with a greater fo c us on opening government. H owever, the p lan remains vague in parts. M oving fo rward, stakeho lder engagement and c onsultation will need to bec ome regular and institutionalised to better a lign with c ivil so c iety prio rities.


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COMMITMENTIMPLEMENTATIONAspartofOGP,countriesarerequiredtomakecommitmentsinatwo-yearactionplan.TheNorwegiancontains25commitments.Thefollowingtablessummariseseachcommitment,includingitslevelofcompletion,potentialimpact,whetheritfallswithinNorway’splannedschedule,andthekeynextstepsforthecommitmentinfutureOGPactionplans.Severalofthecommitmentsarephrasedinvagueterms,whichmadetheirlevelofambitionandcompletiondifficulttoassess.

TheIRMmethodologyincludesstarredcommitments.Thesecommitmentsaremeasurable,clearlyrelevanttoOGPvaluesaswritten,oftransformativepotentialimpact,andsubstantiallyorcompletelyimplemented.NotethattheIRMupdatedthestarcriteriainearly2015toraisethebarformodelOGPcommitments.Inadditiontothecriterialistedabove,theoldcriteriaincludedcommitmentsthathavemoderatepotentialimpact.Unfortunately,duetochallengeswithambitionandlackofspecificity,Norwaydidnotreceiveanystarredcommitments.Seehttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/node/5919formoreinformation.

Table1:AssessmentofProgressbyCommitment

COMMITMENT SHORT NAME POTENTIAL IMPACT

LEVEL OF COMPLETION TIMING

NO

NE

MIN

OR

MO

DE

RA

TE

TR

AN

SFO

RM

AT

IVE

NO

T S

TA

RT

ED

LIM

ITE

D

SUB

STA

NT

IAL

CO

MPL

ET

E

1. Public review and public consultation: Improve the basis for decisions in public administration by drafting new instructions for Official Studies and Reports.

Behind schedule

2. A better overview of committees, boards, and councils -More public access to information and better opportunities for further use: Make the records of committees, boards, and councils easier to use for the general public, public administration, and research institutions.

Unable to tell from

government and civil society

responses

Unclear

3. Simplify (“Enkelt og greit”): Consider a document worked out by the former government on how to simplify the lives of citizens.

Unable to tell from


responses

Unclear

4. Electronic Public Record (OEP): By request, Norway will share its experiences of OEP and the source code with other countries.

On schedule

5. Re-use of public sector information (PSI): All state enterprises are required to make public data available. In addition, the government has published a call for tenders for a socio-economic analysis of the availability of public geospatial data in Norway.

On schedule


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NO

NE

MIN

OR

MO

DE

RA

TE

TR

AN

SFO

RM

AT

IVE

NO

T S

TA

RT

ED

LIM

ITE

D

SUB

STA

NT

IAL

CO

MPL

ET

E

6. Access to health data: Establish and improve services on the health portal helsenorge.n. Citizens shall have secure and easy electronic access to their own health records.

On schedule

7. Renewal of the Government’s website (regjeringen.no- government.no): Improve regjeringen.no. Ministries must be involved in the development work and user testing will be performed.

On

schedule

8. Declaration of principles for interaction and dialogue with NGOs: The Ministry of Culture will start work on a declaration of principles for interaction and dialogue with NGOs.

On

schedule

9. Simplification and digital administration of arrangements for NGOs: Make efforts to ensure that the requirements regarding applications and reporting for voluntary organisations are simplified and that more supports schemes are linked to the Register of Non-Profit Organisations.

On schedule

10. Registering and preserving digital documentation produced by public bodies: Establish joint solutions for preserving and making available digital documentation that are no longer in active administrative use.

Behind

schedule

11. The Norwegian Citizen Survey: Norway will carry out a third citizen survey in 2015. Its results shall be free for all agencies, municipalities, and citizens to adopt and re-use.

On schedule

12. Whiste-blowing: Carry out an evaluation of the whistle-blowing rules.

On schedule

13. Strengthening information exchange for more efficient crime prevention and combating: Pilot projects will be carried out on the cooperation between the police and other actors to achieve better coordination of information on combating crime.

Behind schedule

14. Strengthening the transparency of public authorities and administration: Norway will consider amendments to the Freedom of Information Regulations. It also will continue training in the practice of the archive legislation and the Freedom of Information Act.

Behind schedule

15. E-Government with an end-user focus: The Agency for Public Management and E-Government will develop guidelines for the provision of digital public services with a user-centred approach.

Behind

schedule


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NO

NE

MIN

OR

MO

DE

RA

TE

TR

AN

SFO

RM

AT

IVE

NO

T S

TA

RT

ED

LIM

ITE

D

SUB

STA

NT

IAL

CO

MPL

ET

E

16. Plain legal language: Examine some acts and reformulate them in plain language to make them easier for the public to understand.

On schedule

17. Norwegian Grants Portal (MFA): Ensure the data in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs grants portal at the Norwegian Government website complies with IATI and is updated monthly.

On

schedule

18. An international convention or agreement on financial transparency: The Government will initiate an international dialogue on stricter rules for financial transparency.

Officially withdrawn

N/A

19. Reducing conflicts of interests – Post-employement regulations: Norway will consider formalising the three sets of post-employment regulations by law.

On schedule

20. Centre for Integrity in the Defence Sector: Operate a Centre for Integrity as a resource for the Norwegian defence sector and work closely with NATO.

On schedule

21. Modernising public governance: Consider measures aimed at strenghtening interaction and coordination across agencies and sectors and across administrative levels.

Unable to tell from


responses

Unclear

22. Transparency in the management of oil and gas revenue: Proposed measures include supporting EITI implementation, strengthen the Oil for Development Programme, securing poor countries’s access to information about extractive companies, consider adopting a country-by-country reporting system for the extractive sector, work to strengthen the financial sector transparency.

Behind schedule

23. Transparency in the management of the Government Pension Fund: Norges Bank will make general meetin’s voting results publicly available on its website.

On schedule

24. Transparency and anti-corruption efforts: Introduce national regulations on country-by-country reporting on financial information for every country that a company operates in.

On

schedule


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NO

NE

MIN

OR

MO

DE

RA

TE

TR

AN

SFO

RM

AT

IVE

NO

T S

TA

RT

ED

LIM

ITE

D

SUB

STA

NT

IAL

CO

MPL

ET

E

25. The municipal sector: Develop the Board Appointments Register, further develop Municipality-State Reporting, achieve open and accessible information concerning schools, examine dual role issues in connection with the revision of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities’ recommendations regarding sound municipal ownership.

Behind schedule

Table2:SummaryofProgressbyCommitmentNAME OF COMMITMENT SUMMARY OF RESULTS

1. Public review and public consultation

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: Minor • Completion: Limited

The Instructions for Official Studies and Reports, the guidelines that dictate how officials engage in consultative processes on studies, reports and other types of official investigation work, are being reviewed. Work is proceeding slowly due to extensive consultation by the lead agency. The IRM researchers were not able to identify any use of technology, as specified in the language of the commitment. While increasing public consultation is laudable, the scope of the instructions is relatively narrow. The IRM researchers recommends inclusion of mechanisms, such as the Freedom of Information Act, that would have more impact on strengthening public consultation.

2. A better overview of committees, boards, and councils

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: Minor • Completion: Unable to tell

The Government reports that work on this commitment has begun. IRM researchers were not able to determine, however, what activities this work included. While access to information on committees, boards, and councils is desirable, it is not clearly a priority area for access to information in Norway. As such, this commitment should not be prioritised in the next action plan.

3. “Simplify” (“Enkelt og greit”)

• OGP value relevance: Unclear

• Potential impact: None • Completion: Unable to tell

The Government committed to consider a document, produced by the previous government, on how access to public services could be simplified. While this is a loadable goal, the commitment’s relevance to OGP values is not clearly articulated. Unless the relationship with the open government agenda in Norway can be articulated more clearly, this commitment should not be carried over.

4. Electronic Public Record (OEP)

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: Minor • Completion: Complete

The Norwegian Government participated in several international conferences to share its experiences with OEP. While there seems to be little interest in OEP nationally, hence the international focus of this commitment, it is an important mechanism for transparency and accountability. Therefore, the IRM researchers suggest that the government considers raising awareness for OEP at the national level and improve its accessibility.

5. Re-use of public sector information (PSI)

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: Minor • Completion: substantial

The government held a hearing on the implementation of the E.C. Directive on the Re-use of Public Sector Data and is reviewing submissions to that consultation. It has also initiated an evaluation process of the Norwegian Public Data Licensing System. The analysis of the availability of public geospatial data in Norway was received and is under consideration. Moving forward, KMD should consider improving and harmonising agencies’ capacity to release data.

6. Access to health data

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: Minor • Completion: Substantial

A number of steps, such as user access to electronic prescriptions and establishing access to personal health data online, have been taken towards fulfilment of this commitment. However, the IRM researchers were not able to determine whether eID was launched. These steps represent a minor but positive step towards reform of the Norwegian health care policy. The IRM researchers recommend that this work continues, but not be included in OGP processes.


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NAME OF COMMITMENT SUMMARY OF RESULTS

7. Renewal of Government’s website


A redesigned regjeringen.no was launched in December 2014, therefore completing the commitment. This redesign renews a platform for information sharing and interaction with citizens that was already in place. The Norwegian Government Security and Service Organisation (DSS) will continue making improvements to the website and but these improvements should not be included in subsequent action plans.

8. Interaction with NGOs


A draft of the Declaration of Principles for Interaction and Dialogue with NGOs was published in December 2014. Civil society representatives were invited to provide feedback on the declaration by early 2015. While this declaration represents a positive step towards better cooperation with CSOs, civil society in Norway already benefits from good relationships with the government, and it is unclear if they requested this declaration. Therefore, this commitment does not need to be included in the next action plan, unless requested by CSOs.

9. Digital administration of arrangements for NGOs


The Ministry of Culture’s reported that an overview of grant schemes for volunteer organisations has been published, as well as a guide for how to improve grant schemes for one type of organisation. The IRM researchers were not able to find details on how application procedures are to be simplified or on work undertaken towards linking more support schemes to the Register for Non-Profit Organisations. While this commitment represents an effort to improve the efficiency of civil society’s engagement with government, it does not change the basic mode of operation or create new platforms for interaction between these actors. Consultation between government and civil society would be a good next step to ensure future commitment responds to civil society needs.

10. Digital documentation


The SAMDOK project is intended to facilitate coordination among archive institutions on a voluntary basis. The project is widely regarded as a success and will continue to be implemented independently of the OGP process. Regarding revisions of the Archives Act, the government established a working group to consider adjustments to the regulations. While both of these activities are important to government efficiency and work is on going, they need not be included in subsequent action plans.

11. Norwegian Citizen Survey

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: None • Completion: Substantial

Norway’s third citizen survey was conducted in 2015 and results are expected to be available for download and re-use. It is unclear how the information collected in the survey is being used, or could be used, to support more open government in Norway. Therefore, the IRM researchers recommend conducting an assessment on how survey results are used to improve policy and governance.

12. Whistle-blowing


An evaluation of whistle-blower rules was carried out in 2013 and noted that Norwegian regulations did not meet international standards on whistle-blowing. The report is being reviewed by the Ministry of Labour, which fulfils the commitment. Moving forward, the Ministry of Labour should adopt progressive and ambitious changes to the whistle-blower rules on the basis of its review.

13. Strengthened information exchange


• Potential impact: Minor • Completion: Limited

The self-assessment report references pilot projects organised in collaboration with the private sector but the IRM researchers were unable to determine what these projects were. They were similarly unable to identify progress on the evaluation mentioned in the commitment. As currently written, the commitment is of unclear relevance to OGP values. Unless the commitment’s relevance to access to information, civic participation or public accountability are articulated better, it should not be carried over to the next action plan.

14. Transparency of public authorities

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: None • Completion: Limited

The Government discussed amendments to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to broaden the scope of its applicability. Consideration of these amendments is in preparatory phase. In addition, the Ministry of Justice held courses and lectures on implementation of FOIA. FOIA is a critical piece of legislation and further efforts are needed to raise awareness of FOIA across government agencies and ministries. In addition, the government should conduct an assessment of FOIA requests to identify gaps in the act’s implementation.

15. E-Government with an end-user focus


The Agency for Public Management and E-Government (Difi) has developed guidelines for the evaluation of digital services, which are available online. However, the IRM researcher could find no evidence that user studies have been conducted. Although the quality of guidelines can be important for setting standards, this commitment does not introduce any changes in access to information or public participation. The IRM researchers recommend that the next action plan focus on how evaluations and guidelines are used to increase accessibility and participation.


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16. Plain legal language


The Plain Legal Language project has identified four laws whose language will be clarified, but IRM researchers could not find a timeline for completion of the project. While plain legal language is important, this project should only be included in future action plans to the extent that it relates to OGP values and only through clear and explicit commitments.

17. Norwegian grants portal

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: None • Completion: Complete

The Norwegian grants portal is now compliant with the IATI standard. However, the IRM researchers were unable to determine how often it is updated. It is not clear that the information on the portal is the type of aid data most useful to stakeholders. The government should hold consultation with relevant actors to determine the type of information they would like to access.

18. Financial transparency

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: Minor • Completion: Officially

withdrawn

This commitment was officially withdrawn due to a lack of international support for an international convention or agreement on financial transparency.

19. Post-employment regulations

• OGP value relevance: Clear • Potential impact: None • Completion: Complete

The government committed to consider a report on possible amendments to the Norwegian Post-Employment Regulations. Due to the vague language of the commitment, completion is difficult to assess. However, the proposed legal amendments contained in the report have been received positively by civil society and should now be enacted into law.

20. Centre for Integrity in the Defence Sector


The Centre has engaged in a number of activities including publications on good governance, an international conference, and the implementation of a NATO training course. These activities are not new, and the commitment does not appear to have had a significant impact on national integrity in the defence sector. The Centre should identify how it can work with national defence actors to improve integrity and the quality of accountability in Norway, such as procurement rules and management of FOIA requests.

21. Modernising public governance


• Potential impact: None • Completion: Unable to tell

This commitment was vaguely worded, which made it difficult to assess its potential impact or level of completion. Better management and greater ICT use would certainly matter, and the IRM researchers recommend commitments around this topic be written in clear, measurable language in future action plans.

22. Transparency in oil and gas revenue


As currently formulated, most of the milestones under this commitment are not specific enough to be assessed. Of the milestones that could be assessed, a country-by-country reporting system was fully implemented in early 2014. Future commitments should move beyond existing work and be more specific in their formulation.

23. Managing Government Pension Fund


Norges Bank made the voting results of their general meeting available online. However, the information is very difficult to find on their website, and it does not allow for use or comparison or provide background information on the data. It is also not clear that the voting results provide any more information than what is already made available by the Norwegian Ethical Council and the Finance Department. In the future, the government should explore ways to make voting information easier to access and to provide contextual information to make the results easier to understand.

24. Transparency and anti-corruption efforts


A country-by-country reporting system was fully implemented 1 January 2014. It requires Norwegian-registered companies to report profits, expenses, taxes, and employees for each country in which they operate. Civil society generally appears satisfied with the new law, which represents an important step towards fighting international corruption. The IRM researcher recommends reviewing the law and exemptions earlier than the three-year review schedule and seeking civil society input on establishing sanctions.


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25. The municipal sector


The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) created the Board Appointment Register. It provides an overview of board appointments and other important roles and interests for about 39,000 elected leaders. KS reports that the milestone regarding KOSTRA (municipality-state reporting) and schooling data are in progress while no progress has been made on accessible information concerning school objectives, strategies, plans, and results. Lastly, KS reports that work on examining dual role issues in connection with the revision of KS’s recommendations has not started. While these milestones are targeted at preventing corruption at the municipal level, KS’s CSO status seems to have inhibited progress on fulfilment. Moving forward, this commitment should be assigned to a government agency as responsible party.

RECOMMENDATIONSNorwayhasastrongtraditionforopennessandtransparencyandagenerallyvibrantcivilsociety.OnOGPissues,however,governmentengagementwithCSOshasbeenlacklustre.Commitmentsintheactionplanwerewordedvaguely,whichmadethemdifficulttoassessandlackingambition.Basedonthechallengesandfindingsidentifiedinthisreport,thissectionpresentstheprincipalrecommendations.

TOPFIVE‘SMART’RECOMMENDATIONS

1.Priortoconsultations,establishapublic-facingwebpresenceforOGPthatisdesignedtofacilitateinteraction,inwhichOGP-relatedinformationisorganisedaccordingtotheinterestsandmandatesofNorwegiancivilsociety.PromotethiswebpresenceinforumsandonwebsiteswhereNorwegiancivilsocietyisalreadyactive,suchashttp://www.bistandsaktuelt.no/.Usethiswebpresencetotrackproposalsandinputstoconsultations,regardlessoftheformatinwhichtheyaresubmitted,andtoprovidefeedbackonhowandwhyindividualproposalsareincorporatedintotheactionplan,orreasonstheyarenot.

2.DevelopandconsultonthethirdnationalactionplanaccordingtoatimelinethatisdevelopedinpartnershipwiththeOGPCouncil.

3.Priortodevelopingthenextnationalactionplan,seekministerial-levelpoliticalsupportfortheOGPfromkeygovernmentagencies.DevelopacommunicationsstrategyincollaborationwiththeOGPCouncilforpromotingtheOGPinnationalmediatoraiseawarenessandtofacilitatecivilsocietyengagementaheadofconsultations.

4.StrengtheninstitutionalownershipofOGPcommitmentsingovernmentagenciesbyestablishingaregularmulti-agencyprocessforsharingandmonitoringofcommitmentsbeforethenextimplementationcycle.

5.IncludemoreambitiousandmeasurablecommitmentsinthenextNationalActionPlanandensurethatthosecommitmentsmeettheSMARTcriteria,accordingtowhich,commitmentsshouldbeSpecific,Measurable,Answerable,Relevant,andTime-bound.ThesecommitmentsshouldbebasedonissuesthatareprioritisedinthecriticalmediaandbynationalCSOs.


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EligibilityRequirements:ToparticipateinOGP,governmentsmustdemonstratecommitmenttoopengovernmentbymeetingminimumcriteriaonkeydimensionsofopengovernment.Third-partyindicatorsareusedtodeterminecountryprogressoneachofthedimensions.Formoreinformation,seesectionIX:EligibilityRequirementsattheendofthisreportorvisit:http://www.opengovpartnership.org/how-it-works/eligibility-criteria.

Theengineroomsupportsinnovationinadvocacybymatchmakinginexistingsupportnetworksoftechnologists,supportorganisationsandadvocates.

The International LawandPolicy Institute(ILPI) isan independent institute focusingon goodgovernance,peaceandconflict,and internationallaw.ILPIprovidesresearch,analysis,processsupport,andtrainingtoclientsrangingfromprivatecompaniesandinstitutionstogovernmentsandinternationalorganisations.

TheOpenGovernmentPartnership(OGP)aimstosecureconcretecommitmentsfromgovernmentstopromotetransparency,empowercitizens,fightcorruption,andharnessnewtechnologiestostrengthengovernance.OGP’sIndependentReportingMechanismassessesdevelopmentandimplementationofnationalactionplanstofosterdialogueamongstakeholdersandimproveaccountability.


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I.NationalparticipationinOGPHistoryofOGPparticipationTheOpenGovernmentPartnership(OGP)isavoluntary,multi-stakeholderinternationalinitiativethataimstosecureconcretecommitmentsfromgovernmentstotheircitizenrytopromotetransparency,empowercitizens,fightcorruption,andharnessnewtechnologiestostrengthengovernance.Inpursuitofthesegoals,OGPprovidesaninternationalforumfordialogueandsharingamonggovernments,civilsocietyorganisations(CSOs),andtheprivatesector,allofwhichcontributetoacommonpursuitofopengovernment.OGPstakeholdersincludeparticipatinggovernments,civilsociety,andprivatesectorentitiesthatsupporttheprinciplesandmissionofOGP.Norway,oneoftheeightfoundingcountriesoftheOGP,beganitsformalparticipationinSeptember2011,whenthenPrimeMinisterJensStoltenberglaunchedtheinitiativealongwithotherheadsofstateandministersinNewYork.

ToparticipateinOGP,governmentsmustexhibitademonstratedcommitmenttoopengovernmentbymeetingasetof(minimum)performancecriteriaonkeydimensionsofopengovernmentthatareparticularlyconsequentialforincreasinggovernmentresponsiveness,strengtheningcitizenengagement,andfightingcorruption.Objective,thirdpartyindicatorsareusedtodeterminetheextentofcountryprogressoneachofthedimensions.SeeSectionIXon“EligibilityRequirements”formoredetails.

AllOGP-participatinggovernmentsarerequiredtodevelopOGPcountryactionplansthatelaborateconcretecommitmentsoveraninitialtwo-yearperiod.GovernmentsshouldbegintheirOGPcountryactionplansbysharingexistingeffortsrelatedtotheirchosengrandchallenge(s)(seeSectionIV),includingspecificopengovernmentstrategiesandon-goingprogrammes.Actionplansshouldthensetoutthegovernment’sOGPcommitments,whichmovegovernmentpracticebeyonditscurrentbaselinewithrespecttotherelevantgrandchallenge.Thesecommitmentsmaybuildonexistingefforts,identifynewstepstocompleteon-goingreforms,orinitiateactioninanentirelynewarea.

Norwaydevelopeditssecondnationalactionplaninthelatterhalfof2013.TheplanwasannouncedandsharedwithresponsiblegovernmentagenciesinNovember2013.Theeffectiveperiodofimplementationofthesecondnationalactionplaniscalendaryears2014and2015.Thisreportassessesthefirstyearofimplementationoftheactionplan,endingon30December2014.TheGovernmentofNorwaydisseminatedadraftversionofaself-assessmentreportforthesecondnationalactionplanon31March2015.

BasicinstitutionalcontextTheMinistryofForeignAffairs(MFA)incooperationwiththePrimeMinister’sOfficeco-ordinatedNorway’sinitialOGPinvolvement.TheIRMresearchershavenotidentifiedanyengagementofthePrimeMinister’sofficeinOGPprocessesfollowingthis,althoughtheMinistryofLocalGovernmentandModernisation(KMD)reportsthattherehasbeenregularcontactandmeetingsbetweenthePrimeMinister’sofficeandotherMinistries.Duringthecourseoftheimplementationofthefirstnationalactionplan,theMFAhandedresponsibilityforcoordinationovertotheMinistryofGovernment,Administration,andChurchAffairs(FAD),nowKMD.

TheNorwegianrepresentativeatmostOGPeventshasbeentheKMDStateSecretaryPaulChaffeywhohastakenamuchmorehands-onandengagedapproachtoOGPthanthepreviousgovernment,whichleftofficeinOctober2013.Theimpactofthechangeofgovernmentontheimplementationofthisactionplanisnotentirelyclear.Despitethefact


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thatseveraloftheactionplan’scommitmentsarealignedsubstantivelywiththenewgovernment’spoliciesandpoliticalprogramme,itappearsthatthenewgovernmenthasnotprioritisedtheOGPmandate,andthatthishashadconsequencesforpoliticalsupportandresourcesavailabletotheagenciesresponsibleforindividualcommitments.ThisalsomightcontributetothegenerallackofawarenessandenthusiasmregardingtheOGPthattheIRMresearchersencounteredwhenresearchingthisreport.

Thisalsoseemstobethecaseattheinternationalregister,asexemplifiedbythefactthattheNorwegianPrimeMinisterfailedtoattendtheOGPSummitonthemarginsoftheU.N.GeneralAssemblyinNewYorkinSeptember2014.NotbeingrepresentedbyaHeadofStateattheSummitsentanegativesignalwithregardtoNorway’sOGPparticipation.

OpinionsdifferonwhetherKMDisthemostappropriateinstitutional“home”forOGP.WhilerepresentativesofKMDseetheMinistryasthatwhichmostcloselyresemblesaministryoftheinterior,andtherebymostsubstantivelyalignedwithOGPcommitments,civilsocietyrepresentativessuggestthattheMinistryofFinancemighthavebeenamoreeffectiveagencyforcoordinationduetoitsdirectcontroloverbudgetandadministrativeresources,anditsstrongerpositionforinfluencingthenationalpoliticalagenda.

MFAcurrentlyfinancesKMD'scoordinationactivities,andhasresponsibilityforimplementingtwoOGPcommitments.KMD'smandatetocoordinateandimplementOGPactivitiesisbasedsolelyoninter-ministerialdirectives.Itisnotlegallymandated.

Aswiththefirstnationalactionplan,thesecondnationalactionplan'sbroadscoperequiresparticipationfromawidevarietyofgovernmentagencies.Thirteengovernmentagenciesarenamedresponsibleforimplementingcommitmentsinthesecondnationalactionplan.1Inaddition,onenon-governmentalbodyrepresentingmunicipalgovernmentsisresponsibleforonecommitment.2

Toassistwithcoordinationandengagementwithcivilsociety,theGovernmentofNorwayhasestablishedaCouncilforTransparencyinthePublicAdministration(Åpenhetsråd),whichalsofunctionsasanOGPCouncil.TheOGPCounciliscomposedofthreecivilsocietyrepresentatives,whoKMDappointsandfundsactivities.TheCouncilmeetsregularlyatleasteverytwomonths,butisnotmandatedtodo,sotechnicallyitisadhoc.TheCouncilparticipatesinallOGP-relatedmeetingshostedbyKMD,includinginter-departmentalmeetingsandmeetingswithcivilsociety.TheCouncilisfreetomeetwithministersofotherdepartmentstoraiseawarenessgenerallyaboutissuesconcerningtransparencyinpublicadministrationand,specifically,aboutNorway´scommitmentsonOGP.SincebeingestablishedinFebruary2015,theCouncilhasmetwiththreeministries.

AccordingtoanotedistributedbyKMDwithNorway’sself-assessmentreportinMarch2015,theCouncilhasamandateto:

• Provideinputtothedevelopmentandimplementationofnationalactionplans

• Followupwithactionplanimplementation

• Provideinputtoevaluationofactionplans

• RaiseawarenessoftheOGPinNorway,increaseengagementwithNorwegiancivilsociety,andcontributetoNorway'sleadingpositioninternationallyinregardtoopengovernance

• StrengthentheinvolvementofrelevantactorsinOGPprocesses


13

• ParticipateinOGPforumstofacilitatetheexchangeofexperiencewithinstitutionsinotherOGPparticipatingcountries

SinceassumingresponsibilityforcoordinatingtheOGP,KMDreportsthatithasinvestedhumanresourcesequivalenttoapproximately75percentofanannualposition,themajorityofwhichhasbeenusedtoparticipateintheinternationalsteeringcommitteeforOGP,notfordomesticplanningorimplementation.TwohundredthousandNOKwereallocatedtoKMDforcoordinationofOGPactivities,and150,000NOKwereallocatedfor2014.

MethodologicalnoteTheIRMpartnerswithexperienced,independentnationalresearcherstoauthoranddisseminatereportsforeachOGPparticipatinggovernment.InNorway,theIRMpartneredChristopherWilsonoftheengineroom(http://theengineroom.org)andJoachimNahemoftheInternationalLawandPolicyInstitute(ILPI).JoachimNahemrecusedhimselffromtheroleofindependentresearchertoparticipateintheOGPCouncil,describedabove,andwasreplacedbyILPI’sLenaOlsen,whoworkedwithChristopherWilsontocarryoutthisevaluationofthedevelopmentandimplementationofNorway'ssecondactionplan.IRMresearchersfromtheengineroomandILPIreviewedthegovernment’sself-assessmentreport,gatheredtheviewsofcivilsociety,andinterviewedappropriategovernmentofficialsandotherstakeholders.OGPstaffandapanelofexpertshavereviewedthisreport.

ThisreportfollowsonanearlierreviewofOGPperformance,theNorwayProgressReport2011–2013,whichcoveredthedevelopmentofthefirstactionplanaswellasimplementationfrom1July2012to30June2013.

DuetolackofengagementandawarenessofOGPwithinNorwegiancivilsociety,theIRMresearchersdidnotattempttoconveneconsultationswithCSOsforthisreview,butinsteadinterviewedsixcivilsocietyrepresentativeswhowereactiveinthereviewofthefirstactionplananddevelopmentofthesecondnationalactionplan,aswellascivilsocietyrepresentativesparticipatingintheOGPcouncil.

1TheyincludetheAgencyforPublicManagementandE-Government(Difi),DirectorateofHealth,LanguageCouncilofNorway(Språkrådet),MinistryofDefence,MinistryofFinance,MinistryofForeignAffairs,theMinistryofPetroleumandEnergy,MinistryofJustice,MinistryofLabour,MinistryofLocalGovernmentandModernisation,NationalArchivesofNorway,NorgesBank,theGovernmentAdministrationService(DSS),theMinistryofHealthandCareServices,andtheNorwegianAssociationofLocalandRegionalAuthorities(KS).2ItistheNorwegianAssociationofLocalandRegionalAuthorities(KS).


14

II.ActionplandevelopmentNorway’sengagementwithstakeholdersduringactionplandevelopmenthasbeenconductedprimarilythroughemailsandtwoin-personevents.Thelevelofcivilsocietyengagementintheseconsultationswaslowforavarietyofreasons,andIRMresearchersdidnotfindthatconsultationssuccessfullyincorporatedcivilsocietyandotherstakeholderinputintothedevelopmentoftheactionplan.CountriesparticipatinginOGPfollowasetprocessforconsultationduringdevelopmentoftheirOGPactionplan.AccordingtotheOGPArticlesofGovernance,countriesmust:

• Makethedetailsoftheirpublicconsultationprocessandtimelineavailable(onlineataminimum)priortotheconsultation,

• Consultwidelywiththenationalcommunity,includingcivilsocietyandtheprivatesector;seekoutadiverserangeofviewsand;makeasummaryofthepublicconsultationandallindividualwrittencommentsubmissionsavailableonline,

• UndertakeOGPawarenessraisingactivitiestoenhancepublicparticipationintheconsultation,and

• Consultthepopulationwithsufficientforewarningandthroughavarietyofmechanisms—includingonlineandthroughin-personmeetings—toensuretheaccessibilityofopportunitiesforcitizenstoengage.

Afifthrequirement,duringconsultation,issetoutintheOGPArticlesofGovernance.ThisrequirementisdiscussedinSectionIIIonConsultationduringimplementation:

• Countriesaretoidentifyaforumtoenableregularmulti-stakeholderconsultationonOGPimplementation—thiscanbeanexistingentityoranewone.

EvidenceforconsultationbeforeandduringimplementationisincludedhereandinTable1foreaseofreference.

Table1:ActionPlanConsultationProcessPhaseofActionPlan

OGPProcessRequirement(ArticlesofGovernanceSection)

Didthegovernmentmeetthisrequirement?

DuringDevelopment

Weretimelineandprocessavailablepriortoconsultation?

Yes

Wasthetimelineavailableonline? Yes

Wasthetimelineavailablethroughotherchannels?

Yes

Provideanylinkstothetimeline. Letterofnoticeofconsultation:http://bit.ly/1PPJlaL

Wasthereadvancenoticeoftheconsultation?

Yes

Howmanydaysofadvancenoticewereprovided?

91

Wasthisnoticeadequate? Yes


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Didthegovernmentcarryoutawareness-raisingactivities?

Yes

Provideanylinkstoawareness-raisingactivities.

None

Wereconsultationsheldonline? Yes

Provideanylinkstoonlineconsultations.

Theconsultationnotice:http://bit.ly/1PPJlaL

Werein-personconsultationsheld?

Yes

Wasasummaryofcommentsprovided?

Yes

Provideanylinkstosummaryofcomments.

Theresponsesfromsixofthe27CSOs:http://bit.ly/1FKtx8Z

Wereconsultationsopenorinvitation-only?

Invitation-only

PlacetheconsultationsonIAP2spectrum.1

Consult

DuringImplementation

Wastherearegularforumforconsultationduringimplementation?

No

Wereconsultationsopenorinvitation-only?

Open

PlacetheconsultationsontheIAP2spectrum.

Involve

Advancenoticeandawareness-raisingDescriptionofactivities:

On18April2013,KMDsentanemailtogovernmentagenciesaswellas27CSOsandorganisationsinthebusinesssector,invitingthemtoproposecommitmentsforthenextnationalactionplan.KMDreportsthattheserecipientswereselectedfromparticipantsintheindependentreviewofNorway’sfirstactionplan,inadditiontoorganisationsspecificallyselectedbyKMD.Itisnotclearhowemailrecipientswereselected.Thisinvitationwasrepeatedduringin-personOGPmeetingshostedbyKMDon6June2013and13June2013.Itisunclearwhoparticipatedinthesemeetings,butthefirstwasan“InformationMeeting”opentoallministriesandthesecondwasa“DialogueMeeting”announcedinanemailsenttoapproximately100representativesofcivilsocietyandgovernment.Whiletheeventwasnotpublicallyannounced,thoseinvitedwereencouragedtoinviteothers.

Thedeadlinetosubmitproposalsforthesecondactionplanwas18July2013.Sixwrittenproposalswerereceived.Thereisnorecordofanyproposalsmadeduringthein-personmeetingsandtheIRMresearcherswereunabletofindminutesorsummaryofthemeetings.


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Challenges:

ThescopeofKMD'soutreachforconsultationshasincreasedsteadily,andincreasingrecipientsfrom27to100issignificant.KMD'sdraftself-assessmentreportnotesthattherehasbeenanactiveefforttoincreasethescopeofoutreach.Thisincreaseinrecipientsdidnotseemtosignificantlyincreasecivilsocietyengagement(IRMresearchersparticipatedinmeetingshostedbyKMDanddidnotnotemorethanfiveorsixparticipantsrepresentingCSOs,includingmembersoftheOGPCouncil).Nordidincreasingthenumberofemailrecipientsappeartoincreasecivilsociety’sinputtothenationalactionplan(onlysixwrittensubmissionsareonrecord).Forthesereasons,itisworthreviewingotheraspectsoftheoutreach.

Timingwasanobviousimpedimenttoresponding,andplacingthedeadlineforsubmissionsinthemiddleofnationalsummerholidayslikelydiscouragedsubmissions,justasitdidduringconsultationsforthefirstactionplan.

Theformandaccessibilityofoutreachmaybejustasimportant.AllemailsfromKMDregardingtheconsultationprocesseshavebeenwrittenindenseadministrativelanguage,withsubstantiveinformationcontainedinuptosevenattachments,whichwerenotalwaysclearlylabelled.ThismayhavesignificantlydecreasedthelikelihoodthatrecipientsnotalreadyfamiliarwithOGPandmotivatedtoengagewouldreadandprocesstheinformation.Aslongasemaillistscontinuetobetheprimarymechanismforraisingawarenessandpromotingconsultations,clearlanguagerelevanttocivilsocietymaybenecessarytoincreasecivilsocietyengagement.

Similarly,theOGPwebpresenceinNorwayhasnotbeenhighlyengaging.NoticesforOGPactivitiesandconsultationsburieddeepingovernmentwebsitesarenoteasilyaccessibleandnotclearlypresented.Forexample,themainwebpagefortheOGPisatalonghyperlink:https://www.regjeringen.no/nb/tema/statlig-forvaltning/ogp/id723530/andcontainsapproximately1,600wordsofdensetextwithlinksandnointernalnavigation.Adedicatedwebsitesuchaswww.ogp.noandclearpresentationofkeyinformationlikelywouldbemoreaccessibletocivilsocietymembersnotalreadymotivatedtolearnaboutandengagewiththenationalOGPprocess.

DepthandbreadthofconsultationArecordofconsultationsisonlyavailableforthesixemailsubmissionsandtheconsultationheldafterthenationalactionplanwaslaunched.Thismakesitdifficulttodeterminewhetherconsultationscapturedadiversityofopinionsandtowhatextentthoseopinionsactuallyinfluencedthedevelopmentofthesecondnationalactionplan.

Itisworthnotingthatallin-personconsultationswereheldinOsloandparticipationwaslimited.KMDnotesinthedraftself-assessmentreport,thatnotallofthesixwrittenproposalswerereflectedinthedraftingoftheactionplan.

Whilewrittenproposalsindicatethatsomestakeholdersappreciatedtheopportunitytobeheard,oneCSOneverthelesscommentedthatthedeadlineforproposalswastooshortandthattherewasnotsufficientcivilsocietyinvolvement.2ThisperspectivewasconfirmedininterviewsbytheIRMresearchers,whencivilsocietyrepresentativesalsoemphasisedthattheconsultationtimingdiscouragedengagement,asitcollidedwiththenationalsummerholiday.

AdditionalInformationKMDreportsthattheNorwegianParliamentwasinvitedtoparticipateinoneoftheworkinggroups,buttheIRMdidnotidentifyanyparticipation.


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ThefollowingtableillustratesthedifferenteventsandcommunicationsthroughwhichtheNorwegiangovernmentcommunicatedwithNorwegiancivilsocietyandotherstakeholdersduringthepreparationandimplementationofthesecondactionplan.

Date Format Invited PublicAnnouncement?

Participants WrittenRecord?

April2013 Email,requestforproposals

27CSOsandorganisationsinthebusinessandprivatesector

No 6proposalsreceived

Yes,of6proposals

6June2013 DialogueMeetinghostedbyKMD

The27individualsinvitedtosubmitproposals,plusparticipantsinthepreviousOGPprocess

No Unclear No

13June2013 InformationMeetingforministries

Emailto115recipients,primarilyrepresentingrelevantgovernmentagencies,sentJune62013

OpeninvitationpostedonKMD'swebsite

18representativesofministries,and3civilsocietyandIRMrepresentatives

No

23Sept.2013 EmailrequestingcommentsonDraftActionPlan

Emailto114emailaddresses

No Unclear No

2Oct.2013 IRMreportonfirstactionplanreleasedforpubliccomment

31Oct.2013 Secondnationalactionplanlaunched

January2014 Implementationperiodbegins

1TheOpenGovernmentPartnership,Norway’sSecondNationalActionPlanonOpenGovernmentPartnership(OGP)bytheNorwegianMinistryofGovernmentAdministration,Reform,andChurchAffairs(Report,Washington,D.C.,2013);“IAP2SpectrumofPoliticalParticipation,”InternationalAssociationforPublicParticipation,http://bit.ly/1kMmlYC.2FeedbackprovidedbyFrivillighetNorgeisonfilewiththeIndependentresearchers,butnolongeravailableontheGovernmentwebsite.


III.ActionplanimplementationTheGovernmentofNorwayhostedregularmeetingswithrelevantministriesandCSOsduringtheimplementationperiod.Althoughthesemeetingsappeartohaveprovidedausefulforumforinputandfeedback,itisnotclearwhatinputwassecuredorhowitwasused.AspartoftheirparticipationinOGP,governmentscommittoidentifyaforumtoenableregularmulti-stakeholderconsultationonOGPimplementation.Thiscanbeanexistingentityoranewone.Thissectionsummarisesthatinformation.

Regularmulti-stakeholderconsultationThreemeetingswereorganisedfollowingthelaunchofthesecondactionplan(17March2015,13June2015,and17April2015),asshowninthetableinSectionII.

Themeetingswereannouncedviaemailssenttobetween100and150recipients,representinggovernmentagenciesandCSOs.ThesemeetingswereheldingovernmentfacilitiesandwereheldsolelyforthepurposeofdiscussingOGP.Approximately30participantsjoinedeachmeeting.ThelastmeetingwasannouncedontheMinistry’swebsite,butthefirsttwowerenot.Itisnotclearthatthisannouncementhadanyconsequenceonthelevelofparticipation.

Meetingsgenerallylastedtwotothreehoursandwerecomposedofaseriesofpresentations.Summaryminutesfromsomeofthemeetingswerecirculatedtoparticipants,indicatingtheissuesthatwerediscussed.Theminuteswerecirculated1withscannedlistsoftheparticipants,whowrotetheirnamesonsign-upsheetstoindicatetheirparticipation.

IRMresearchersparticipatedineachofthesemeetingsandobservedthatgovernmentagenciesdominatedparticipation,andthatcivilsocietyparticipationwaslimitedtothreetofiveCSOs.

Generally,themeetingsappeartohaveprovidedausefulforumforinputandreflection,butthisdynamicwasinhibitedbyalackofengagementandparticipation.Itisnotclearhowmuchoftheinputreceivedactuallywasincorporatedintoofficialplanningprocessesorinfluencedactionplanimplementation.

Date Format Invited PublicAnnouncement?

Participants WrittenRecord?

17March2014

Meetingonprogressofimplementation

Emailto96recipients,sent9March2014

No 30representativesofgovernmentandcivilsociety

No

13June2014

Meetingonprogressofimplementation

Emailto158recipientssentJune5

No 27representativesofgovernmentandcivilsociety,plusPaulMaassen,DirectorforCivilSocietyEngagementat

Summarynotesentviaemailtoparticipants


theOpenGovernmentPartnership

17April2015

Meetingtopresentinformationonthecloseofthe2ndactionplanandinputonthe3rdactionplan,hostedbyOGPCouncil

Emailto121recipientssent3April2015

Yes,postedonKMDwebsite

31representativesofgovernmentandcivilsociety

Summarynotesentviaemailtoparticipants

1GoogleDocLibrary,GoogleDrive,http://bit.ly/1IEjSvk


IV.AnalysisofactionplancontentsAllOGPparticipatinggovernmentsdevelopOGPcountryactionplansthatelaborateconcretecommitmentsoveraninitialtwo-yearperiod.GovernmentsbegintheirOGPcountryactionplansbysharingexistingeffortsrelatedtoopengovernment,includingspecificstrategiesandon-goingprogrammes.Actionplansthensetoutgovernments’OGPcommitments,whichstretchpracticebeyonditscurrentbaseline.Thesecommitmentsmaybuildonexistingefforts,identifynewstepstocompleteon-goingreforms,orinitiateactioninanentirelynewarea.

Commitmentsshouldbeappropriatetoeachcountry’suniquecircumstancesandpolicyinterests.OGPcommitmentsshouldalsoberelevanttoOGPvalueslaidoutintheOGPArticlesofGovernanceandOpenGovernmentDeclarationsignedbyallOGPparticipatingcountries.TheIRMusesthefollowingguidancetoevaluaterelevancetocoreopengovernmentvalues:

AccesstoinformationCommitmentsaroundaccesstoinformation:

• Pertaintogovernment-heldinformation,asopposedtoonlyinformationongovernmentactivities.Forexample,releasinggovernment-heldinformationonpollutionwouldbeclearlyrelevant,althoughtheinformationisnotabout“governmentactivity”perse;

• Arenotrestrictedtodatabutpertaintoallinformation.Forexample,releasingindividualconstructioncontractsandreleasingdataonalargesetofconstructioncontracts;

• Mayincludeinformationdisclosuresinopendataandthesystemsthatunderpinthepublicdisclosureofdata;

• Maycoverbothproactiveand/orreactivereleasesofinformation;

• Maycoverbothmakingdatamoreavailableand/orimprovingthetechnologicalreadabilityofinformation;

• Maypertaintomechanismstostrengthentherighttoinformation(suchasombudsmanofficesorinformationtribunals);

• Mustprovideopenaccesstoinformation(itshouldnotbeprivilegedorinternalonlytogovernment);

• Shouldpromotetransparencyofgovernmentdecisionmakingandcarryingoutofbasicfunctions;

• Mayseektolowerthecostofobtaininginformation;

• ShouldstrivetomeettheFiveStarforOpenDatadesign(http://5stardata.info/).

CivicparticipationCommitmentsaroundcivicparticipationmaypertaintoformalpublicparticipationortobroadercivicparticipation.Theygenerallyshouldseekto“consult,”“involve,”“collaborate,”or“empower,”asexplainedbytheInternationalAssociationforPublicParticipation’sPublicParticipationSpectrum(http://bit.ly/1kMmlYC).

Commitmentsaddressingpublicparticipation:


• Mustopendecisionmakingtoallinterestedmembersofthepublic;suchforumsareusually“top-down”inthattheyarecreatedbygovernment(oractorsempoweredbygovernment)toinformdecisionmakingthroughoutthepolicycycle;

• Canincludeelementsofaccesstoinformationtoensuremeaningfulinputofinterestedmembersofthepublicintodecisions;

• Oftenincludetherighttohaveyourvoiceheard,butdonotnecessarilyincludetherighttobeaformalpartofadecisionmakingprocess.

Alternatively,commitmentsmayaddressthebroaderoperatingenvironmentthatenablesparticipationincivicspace.Examplesincludebutarenotlimitedto:

• Reformsincreasingfreedomsofassembly,expression,petition,press,orassociation;

• ReformsonassociationincludingtradeunionlawsorNGOlaws;

• Reformsimprovingthetransparencyandprocessofformaldemocraticprocessessuchascitizenproposals,elections,orpetitions.

Thefollowingcommitmentsareexamplesofcommitmentsthatwouldnotbemarkedasclearlyrelevanttothebroaderterm,civicparticipation:

• Commitmentsthatassumeparticipationwillincreaseduetopublicationofinformationwithoutspecifyingthemechanismforsuchparticipation(althoughthiscommitmentwouldbemarkedas“accesstoinformation”);

• Commitmentsondecentralisationthatdonotspecifythemechanismsforenhancedpublicparticipation;

• Commitmentsthatdefineparticipationasinter-agencycooperationwithoutamechanismforpublicparticipation.

Commitmentsthatmaybemarkedof“unclearrelevance”alsoincludethosemechanismswhereparticipationislimitedtogovernment-selectedorganisations.

PublicaccountabilityCommitmentsimprovingaccountabilitycaninclude:

• Rules,regulations,andmechanismsthatcallupongovernmentactorstojustifytheiractions,actuponcriticismsorrequirementsmadeofthem,andacceptresponsibilityforfailuretoperformwithrespecttolawsorcommitments.

Consistentwiththecoregoalofopengovernment,”tobecountedas“clearlyrelevant,”commitmentsmustincludeapublic-facingelement,meaningthattheyarenotpurelyinternalsystemsofaccountability.WhilesuchcommitmentsmaybelaudableandmaymeetanOGPgrandchallenge,theydonot,asarticulated,meetthetestof“clearrelevance”duetotheirlackofopenness.Wheresuchinternal-facingmechanismsareakeypartofgovernmentstrategy,itisrecommendedthatgovernmentsincludeapublicfacingelementsuchas:

• Disclosureofnon-sensitivemetadataoninstitutionalactivities(followingmaximumdisclosureprinciples);

• Citizenauditsofperformance;

• Citizen-initiatedappealsprocessesincasesofnon-performanceorabuse.


Strongcommitmentsaroundaccountabilityascriberights,duties,orconsequencesforactionsofofficialsorinstitutions.Formalaccountabilitycommitmentsincludemeansofformallyexpressinggrievancesorreportingwrongdoingandachievingredress.Examplesofstrongcommitmentsinclude:

• Improvingorestablishingappealsprocessesfordenialofaccesstoinformation;

• Improvingaccesstojusticebymakingjusticemechanismscheaper,faster,oreasiertouse;

• Improvingpublicscrutinyofjusticemechanisms;

• Creatingpublictrackingsystemsforpubliccomplaintsprocesses(suchascasetrackingsoftwareforpoliceoranti-corruptionhotlines).

Acommitmentthatclaimstoimproveaccountability,butthatmerelyprovidesinformationordatawithoutexplainingwhatmechanismorinterventionwilltranslatethatinformationintoconsequencesorchange,wouldnotqualifyasanaccountabilitycommitment.Seehttp://bit.ly/1oWPXdlforfurtherinformation.

TechnologyandinnovationforopennessandaccountabilityOGPaimstoenhancetheuseoftechnologyandinnovationtoenablepublicinvolvementingovernment.Specifically,commitmentsthatusetechnologyandinnovationshouldenhanceopennessandaccountabilityby:

• Promotingnewtechnologiesthatofferopportunitiesforinformationsharing,publicparticipation,andcollaboration.

• Makingmoreinformationpublicinwaysthatenablepeoplebothtounderstandwhattheirgovernmentsdoandtoinfluencedecisions.

• Workingtoreducecostsofusingthesetechnologies.

Additionally,commitmentsthatwillbemarkedastechnologyandinnovation:

• Maycommittoaprocessofengagingcivilsocietyandthebusinesscommunitytoidentifyeffectivepracticesandinnovativeapproachesforleveragingnewtechnologiestoempowerpeopleandpromotetransparencyingovernment;

• Maycommittosupportingtheabilityofgovernmentsandcitizenstousetechnologyforopennessandaccountability;

• Maysupporttheuseoftechnologybygovernmentemployeesandcitizensalike.

NotallE-Governmentreformsimproveopennessofgovernment.AnE-Governmentcommitmentneedstoarticulatehowitenhancesatleastoneofthefollowing:accesstoinformation,publicparticipation,orpublicaccountability.

Recognisingthatachievingopengovernmentcommitmentsofteninvolvesamulti-yearprocess,governmentsshouldattachtimeframesandbenchmarkstotheircommitmentsthatindicatewhatistobeaccomplishedeachyear,wheneverpossible.ThisreportdetailseachofthecommitmentsNorwayincludedinitsactionplan,andanalysesthemfortheirfirstyearofimplementation.

Whilemostindicatorsusedtoevaluateeachcommitmentareself-explanatory,anumberdeservefurtherexplanation.

1. Specificity:TheIRMresearcherfirstassessesthelevelofspecificityandmeasurabilitywithwhicheachcommitmentoractionwasframed.Theoptionsare:


• High(Commitmentlanguageprovidesclear,measurable,verifiablemilestonesforachievementofthegoal)

• Medium(Commitmentlanguagedescribesactivitythatisobjectivelyverifiable,butdoesnotcontainclearlymeasurablemilestonesordeliverables)

• Low(Commitmentlanguagedescribesactivitythatcanbeconstruedasmeasurablewithsomeinterpretationonthepartofthereader)

• None(Commitmentlanguagecontainsnoverifiabledeliverablesormilestones)

2. Relevance:TheIRMresearcherevaluatedeachcommitmentforitsrelevancetoOGPvaluesandOGPgrandchallenges.

• OGPvalues:ToidentifyOGPcommitmentswithunclearrelationshipstoOGPvalues,theIRMresearchermadeajudgmentfromaclosereadingofthecommitment’stext.Thisjudgmentrevealscommitmentsthatcanbetterarticulateaclearlinktofundamentalissuesofopenness.

3. Potentialimpact:TheIRMresearcherevaluatedeachcommitmentforhowambitiouscommitmentswerewithrespecttoneworpre-existingactivitiesthatstretchgovernmentpracticebeyondanexistingbaseline.

• Tocontributetoabroaddefinitionofambition,theIRMresearcherjudgedhowpotentiallytransformativeeachcommitmentmightbeinthepolicyarea.ThisisbasedontheIRMresearcher’sfindingsandexperienceasapublicpolicyexpert.Toassesspotentialimpact,theIRMresearcheridentifiesthepolicyproblem,establishesabaselineperformancelevelattheoutsetoftheactionplan,andassessesthedegreetowhichthecommitmentwouldimpactperformanceandtacklethepolicyproblem,ifimplemented.

AlloftheindicatorsandmethodusedintheIRMresearchcanbefoundintheIRMProceduresManual,availableathttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/about/about-irm.Onemeasuredeservesfurtherexplanation,duetoitsparticularinterestforreadersandusefulnessforencouragingaracetothetopbetweenOGP-participatingcountries:the“starredcommitment.”StarredcommitmentsareconsideredexemplaryOGPcommitments.Toreceiveastar,acommitmentmustmeetseveralcriteria:

1. Itmustbespecificenoughthatajudgmentcanbemadeaboutitspotentialimpact.Starredcommitmentswillhave"medium"or"high"specificity.

2. Thecommitment’slanguageshouldmakeclearitsrelevancetoopeninggovernment.Specifically,itmustrelatetoatleastoneoftheOGPvaluesofAccesstoInformation,CivicParticipation,orPublicAccountability.

3. Thecommitmentwouldhavea"transformative"potentialimpactifcompletelyimplemented.1

4. Finally,thecommitmentmustseesignificantprogressduringtheactionplanimplementationperiod,receivingarankingof"substantial"or"complete"implementation.

Finally,thegraphsinthissectionpresentanexcerptofthewealthofdatatheIRMcollectsduringitsprogressreportingprocess.ForthefulldatasetforNorway,andallOGP-participatingcountries,seetheOGPExplorer.2


GeneraloverviewofthecommitmentsFollowingbackgroundinformation,adescriptionoftheprocessthroughwhichitwasdeveloped,andadetaileddescriptionofNorway'spoliticalcultureforopenness,thesecondNorwegiannationalactionplanforOGPlists25commitments.Thecommitmentsarenotgroupedorcategorised.Afterachangeingovernment,atwenty-sixthcommitmentwasaddedafterthepublicationoftheoriginalactionplan.Butitwasneverincludedinawrittendocumentandisnotreviewedinthisreport.Itrelatedtomunicipalityreform,butIRMresearcherswereunabletodeterminefurtherdetailsofwhatthiscommitmentwastoentail.

The25commitmentstogetheremphasiseabroadrangeofactorsandthemes,includingcorruption,internationalcoordinationonfinancialtransparency,archiving,municipaltransparency,anddigitalsolutionsforaccesstoinformation.

1TheInternationalExpertsPanelchangedthiscriterionin2015.IndependentReportingMechanism(IRM),“IRMtoRaisetheBarforModelCommitmentsinOGP,”Blog,OpenGovernmentPartnership,6May2015,http://www.opengovpartnership.org/node/5919.2TheOGPExplorerprovidestheOGPcommunity—civilsociety,academics,governments,andjournalists—witheasyaccesstothewealthofdatathatOGPhascollected.“OGPExplorer,”OpenGovernmentPartnership,http://www.opengovpartnership.org/explorer/landing.


1.Publicreviewandpublicconsultation[…]ThepurposeoftheNorwegianpublicconsultationsystemistwofold:

- ·Toprovidethebestpossiblebasisformakingpublicpolicydecisions(thequalityaspect)

- ·Toensurethataffectedpartiesandotherstakeholdershavetheopportunitytoexpresstheiropinions(thedemocraticaspect)

TheNorwegianconsultationprocesshastwostages:

1. Proposalsaremadebygovernment-appointedcommittees.

2. Theproposalsfromsuchcommitteesaresubmittedforpublicconsultation.[…]

COMMITMENTDESCRIPTION

NewInstructionsforOfficialStudiesandReportsaretobedrafted.Theobjectiveistoimprovethebasisfordecisionsinthepublicadministration.Theobjectiveistoenhancethebasisforpublicauthoritydecisions.Moreefficientuseofnewtechnologyisoneofthemeansavailabletoachievebetterinvolvementofstakeholdersandthepublic.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

NewInstructionsforOfficialStudiesandReportsaretobedrafted.

Editorialnote:Thetextofthecommitmentswasabridgedforformattingreasons.Forthefulltextofthecommitment,seehttp://bit.ly/1QlVIja.

Commitment Overview

Specificity OGP Value Relevance Potential Impact Completion

Non

e

Low

Med

ium

Hig

h

Acc

ess

to I

nfor

mat

ion

Civ

ic P

artic

ipat

ion

Publ

ic A

ccou

ntab

ility

Tec

hnol

ogy

& I

nnov

atio

n fo

r T

rans

pare

ncy

&

Acc

ount

abili

ty

Non

e

Min

or

Mod

erat

e

Tra

nsfo

rmat

ive

Not

sta

rted

Lim

ited

Subs

tant

ial

Com

plet

e ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Whathappened?NewInstructionsforOfficialStudiesandReports

InstructionsforOfficialStudiesandReportsareguidelinesthatdictatehowgovernmentofficialsengageinconsultativeprocessesforofficialstudiesandreports,aswellasothertypesofofficialinvestigationwork.Theydonotapplytopublicconsultationsgenerally,butonlyconsultationsonofficialstudiesandreports.Thustheyrepresentaveryimportantmeasureforaverynarrowtypeofpublicconsultation.Thepreviousinstructionscurrentlyarebeingreviewedtodeterminewhatkindsofnewinstructionswouldbeappropriate.TheKMDcontactpointforthiscommitmentreportsthattheworkisproceedingslowlyduetotheneedforextensiveconsultationswithmultipleministriesandagencies,butthatthiswasexpected.Thecontactalsoreportedthatthedraftinstructionsarenearlycomplete.


Moreefficientuseofnewtechnology

TheIRMresearcherswerenotabletoidentifyanyuseoftechnologyoranyspecificintentiontousetechnologytoenhancepublicconsultation.

Diditmatter?Norwayhasatraditionfortop-downgovernmentadministration,andwhileconsultativeprocesseswithingovernmentandacrossagenciesisawell-establishedpractice,theIRMresearchershavenotdiscoveredmanyinstitutionalprocessesforpublicconsultationswithcitizens.Assuch,thiscommitmentisprogressiveandlaudable,butcoversarelativelynarrowscopeofpublicadministration(consultationonofficialstudiesandreportsandotherofficialinvestigations)andshouldbeviewedasasmallandincrementalstepwithinthelargercontextofchanginginstitutionalculturetobecomemorebottom-upandinterestedinpublicfeedback.

TheKMDcontactforthiscommitmentnotesthatthisworkwouldhavebeenpursuedregardlessoftheOGPcommitment.TheKMDcontactalsonotes,however,thatincludingthison-goingworkintheactionplanhasbeenusefulbecauseitarticulatedtheintentiontodeveloptheconceptofpublicconsultationstowardsmoreopenconsultations.

Thecommitmentdoesnotspecifyanycontenttobeincludedinthenewguidelines,norisitclearwhatthenewguidelineswillcontain.ItisnotcleartotheIRMresearcherswhatimpactthecommitmentwouldhavewhenfulfilled,becausethecommitmentdoesnotindicateanysubstancetobeincludedinthenewguidelines.

MovingforwardWhiletheprincipleunderlyingthiscommitmentislaudable,thecommitmentitselffocusesonpublicconsultationonlyasitrelatestoofficialstudiesandreports.Thescopeofactiondictatedbysuchinstructions(suchassettinglimitsforminimumconsultationperiodsfordifferenttypesofgovernmentdocuments)islikelytohaveonlyanincrementalimpactonchanginginstitutionalculturesfortop-downplanningandadministration,especiallyintheNorwegianmunicipalcontext.

Thiscommitmentreflectson-goingpoliticalprocessesandwouldhavetakenplaceindependentofOGPprocesses.Assuch,KMDdecidednottoincludeitintheupcomingnationalactionplan,butstillconsidersofficialinstructionstoberelevantforOGP.KMDsuggeststhattheymaybemoreimportantthanothermechanismsforaccountabilityandtransparency,suchasthenationalFreedomofInformationAct(FOIA),duetotheinstructionsbreadthofscope.TheIRMresearchersdidnotfindsupportforthisperspectivefrominterviewswithCSOs,whoplacedamuchhigherpremiumonmechanismssuchastheFOIAandOpenElectronicPostJournals(seecommitment4).


2.Abetteroverviewofcommittees,boards,andcouncils-MorepublicaccesstoinformationandbetteropportunitiesforfurtheruseTheMinistryofGovernmentAdministration,ReformandChurchAffairshasresponsibilityforkeepingarecordofcentralgovernmentcommittees,boardsandcouncils.TherecordisavailableinadatabasethatcanbeaccessedfromtheNorwegianGovernmentwebsite,Regjeringen.no.Thedatabasecontainsinformationprovidedbythevariousministries,andhasnofacilitiesforadvancedsearching.


Maketherecordofcommittees,boards,andcouncilseasiertouseforthegeneralpublic,publicadministration,andresearchinstitutions.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

Maketheinformationavailableintheformofsearchablefiles

ACTIVITIES

IncooperationwiththeMinistryofGovernmentAdministration,ReformandChurchAffairs(GovernmentAdministrationServices),theNorwegianSocialScienceDataServices(NSD)andtheAgencyforPublicManagementandeGovernment(Difi)willprepareprinciplesfortechnicalsolutions.

Commitment Overview


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Whathappened?TheMinistryofMunicipalityandModernisation(KMD)reportsthatworkonthiscommitmentbeganwithapreparatoryphase.Itisnotclearwhatactivitythisincludes,andtheIRMresearcherswerenotabletogatheranyadditionalinformationortosecureaninterviewwiththecontactpointforthiscommitment.

Thecommitmentistocreateprinciplesforimprovedfunctionalityofawebsite(Regjeringen.no).Itisnotclearwhatformtheseprincipleswouldtakeorwhethertheyhavebeenestablished.

Diditmatter?Accesstoinformationregardingindividuals'participationongovernmentcommittees,boards,andcouncilsisagoodthing,andsearchableonlinefilesappeartobeagoodsolution.However,theIRMresearcherswerenotabletoidentifyacleardemandforthismeasurefromstakeholdersinterviewed.


NoristhisclearlyapriorityareaorprioritymechanismforaccesstoinformationinNorway.Recentpoliticaldebatessurroundingaccesstopoliticaldocumentsatthemunicipallevel(seecountrycontext)makeitclearthatthereareothermechanismstogainaccesstoinformationongovernmentroles.ThecompletionofthiscommitmentlikelywouldhaveminorimpactonthequalityofaccesstoinformationinNorway.

MovingforwardKMD'sinputtotheNorwegianGovernment'sself-assessmentreportdescribesthenextstepforthisactiontobethecreationofadatabasefor“collegialbodies.”TheIRMresearchersunderstandthistomeanboardsandadministrativebodiesformunicipalorganisations.ItisnotclearhowthisrelatestothecommitmentorwhetherthecommitmentbelongsinanOGPnationalactionplan.Asthisseemsperipheraltothelargerquestionsaboutaccesstoinformationandcultivatingacultureofopennessingovernment,especiallyatthemunicipallevel,thiscommitmentshouldnotbeprioritisedinfutureOGPactionplans.


3.“Simplify”(“Enkeltoggreit”)Thegovernment’s“Simplify”projectwasinitiatedbytheNorwegianPrimeMinisterinFebruary2013.[…]

Themaingoaloftheprojectwas,incooperationwithcivilsociety,toidentifyfieldsorissueswherethegovernmentcansimplifytheeverydaylivesofcitizens.

Inthisproject,theGovernmentadoptedanumberofdifferentworkingmethods:

• DialoguebetweentheAgencyforPublicManagementandeGovernment(Difi)andcivilsocietyorganizations(NGOs)

• ConsultationbetweenthePrimeMinisterandrepresentativesfromcivilsociety• DialoguebetweensomeministriesandtheOfficeofthePrimeMinister• AnelectronicmailboxontheInternetwherethecitizenswereabletomake

suggestionsandcomments.

Theseprocessesresultedinmorethan300proposalsfromcitizens,NGOsandcivilservants.Differentministriesareresponsibleforthe45commitments.The“Simplify”documenthas45commitments.


Simplifywasworkedoutbytheformergovernment.Thenewgovernmentwillconsiderthisdocumentinconnectionwithitseffortstomodernizepublicsector.

Editorialnote:Thetextofthecommitmentswasabridgedforformattingreasons.Forthefulltextofthecommitment,pleaseseehttp://bit.ly/1QlVIja.

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Unable to Tell from Government and Civil

Society Responses

Whathappened?ThiscommitmentisfortheNorwegiangovernmenttoconsideradocumentproducedbytheformergovernment.Thedocumentpresentedrecommendationsonhowaccesstopublicservicescouldbesimplified,basedonconsultationswithcitizens.1TheIRMresearchershavenotfoundevidenceofanyformalprocessesthroughwhichthisdocumenthasbeen“considered.”

Diditmatter?Thiscommitmentlackstractioninthecurrentpoliticalenvironment,duelargelytotherecentchangeingovernment.Thenewgovernmentisexplicitlycommittedtomanyoftheprinciplesinthiscommitment,especiallyincreasingtheeaseofinteractionwith


government,inparticularforbusiness.However,becausethegovernmentusesdifferentmechanismstopursuetheseaims,therelevanceofthe“Simplify”documentandthiscommitmentislimited.

MovingforwardThefocusofthisinitiativeisonfacilitatingefficientgovernmentandefficientinteractionwithgovernment,especiallyforbusiness.Whilethisisalaudablegoal,thecommitment’srelevancetoOGPvaluesofaccesstoinformation,civicparticipationandpublicaccountabilityisnotclearlyarticulated.TheseareexplicitpoliticalobjectivesforthecurrentNorwegianGovernment,whichisactivelypursuingthemthroughavarietyofmechanisms.ButtheseobjectivesarenotclearlyapriorityareaforopengovernmentinNorwayandshouldnotbeprioritisedinfutureOGPactionplans.

1EnkeltogGreitbytheNorwegianGovernment(Report,2013),http://bit.ly/1Lydm92


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4.ElectronicPublicRecord(OEP)-(Offentligelektroniskpostjournal)[…]

ElectronicPublicRecords(OEP)isacollaborativetoolwhichcentralgovernmentagenciesusetopublicizetheirpublicrecordsonline.Publicrecorddataarestoredinonesearchabledatabase.Userscansearchthisdatabasetolocatecasedocumentsrelevanttotheirfieldofinterest.Havinglocatedrelevantcasedocuments,usersmaysubmitrequeststoviewthese.Requestsaresenttotherespectiveagenciesresponsibleforthecasedocumentsandpublicrecordentries.TheagenciesthemselvesthenprocessrequestssenttothemviaOEP,andreplytousersdirectly.[…]


TheOEPsoftwarehasbeendevelopedonthebasisofopensourcecode,mainlybasedonfreesoftware,andisthereforeavailabletootherlevelsofgovernmentsaswellaspublicandprivateinstitutionsforre-usefreeofchargeandwithoutrestrictions.Thesolutionisintendedtobeaccessibletoallkindsofusergroups.Ithasbeendevelopedinkeepingwithuniversaldesignprinciplesandwebdevelopmentstandards.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

Onrequest,NorwaywillshareitsexperiencesofOEPandthesourcecodewithothercountries.


Commitment Overview


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Whathappened?ThiscommitmentdoesnotseemtointendtoimproveElectronicPublicRecords(OEP)inanyway.ThecommitmentdescriptionnotesOEPoriginsandstatesthatitshouldbeshared,andthebenchmarkissharingthegovernment'sexperiencewithOEPwithothercountriesondemand.Todate,representativesoftheAgencyforPublicManagementandE-Government(Difi)haveparticipatedinseveralinternationalconferences,whichwouldseemtohavefulfilledthecommitment,buttheseconferencesdonotseemtohavebeenarrangedexplicitlyforsharingOEPexperiences.TheIRMresearcherswerenottoldofanyspecificrequestsfromothercountriesforsharingtheplatformorrelatedexperiences.

Diditmatter?SharingtheNorwegianGovernment’sexperiencewithOEPhasbeenanon-goingeffortofDifisincebeforetheactionplanwasdrafted.Difi'scontactpointforthiscommitment


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suggeststhatinclusionofthiscommitmentinthesecondnationalactionplanprovidesasmalldegreeofaccountabilitythatotherwisewouldhavebeenabsent,butthatthecommitmentitselfisvague,andthereislittleinterestintheissuenationally.AccordingtotheDificontact,thereissignificantinterestintheOEPinternationally,whichissufficienttosatisfythiscommitment,butverylittleinterestintheOEPamongnationalstakeholders.

MovingforwardCivilsocietyrepresentativesinterviewedbytheIRMresearchersindicatedthatOEPisaquiteimportantmechanismfortransparencyandaccountabilityinNorwegiangovernance.Becauseofthevastamountofadministrativedocumentationandcorrespondenceitcovers,OEPprovidesanimportantalternativeandcomplementarymechanismtotheFOIA.AlthoughcivilsocietyinterviewssuggestthattheOEPisnotaswellknownoraccessibleasitcouldbe,thedegreeofOEPuseoraccessibilityisuncleartotheIRMresearchers.Statisticsprovidedbythegovernmentathttps://oep.no/content/statistikk?lang=nbindicateverywideuse(millionsofreleasesandrequests),butdonotprovideanyinsightsonhowrequestsorreleasesaremadeorbywhom.FurthercommitmentsregardingtheOEPinOGPactionplansshouldconsidertheneedtoraiseawarenessamongcitizensandcivilsociety.

Specificcommitmentsinthisregardmightincludeholdingfreeworkshopstotraincivilsocietyonusingtheplatformorconductinguserresearchwithcivilsocietyandimplementingimprovementsontheplatformbasedonthisresearch.


5.Re-useofpublicsectorinformation(PSI)[…]


1.Allstateenterprisesarerequiredtomakepublicdataavailablesothatitcanbeusedbyothers,i.e.publishedelectronicallyinauser-friendlyformat.

2.Thegovernmenthasrecentlypublishedacallfortenderforacase-based,socio-economicanalysisoftheavailabilityofpublicgeospatialdatainNorway.Theaimoftheanalysisistoidentifyalternativewaysoffacilitatingthepublicationofspatialdataincomparisonwiththecurrentsituation.Theanalysisshoulddeterminewhichoptionprovidesthebestoveralleconomicsolution.ThestudyshouldbereadybyQ22014.


Whathappened?Requiringallstateenterprisetomakepublicdataavailablesothatotherscanuseit

InOctober2014,NorwayheldahearingontheimplementationoftheE.C.DirectiveontheRe-useofPublicSectorData1andcurrentlyisreviewingsubmissionstothatconsultation.AnevaluationprocesswasinitiatedregardingtheNorwegianPublicDataLicensingSystem(NLOD),whichallowsuserstocopy,use,andredistributelicenseddatawithattributionofthedataprovider.2Thesearestepstowardscompletingthisaction,althoughtheNorwegianself-assessmentreportnotesthatrequiringallstateenterprises“tomakepublicdataavailablesothatitcanbeusedbyothers”issobroadthatitmustberegardedason-goingwork.Forthesereasons,itisdifficulttodeterminewhetherthecommitmentiscompleted,althoughtheself-assessmentreportalsonotesNorway'spositionontheGlobalOpenDataIndexandtheOpenDataBarometerasevidenceofprogress(despitethefactthatNorway'srankdroppedonbothIndicessincethepreviousyear).3

Commitment Overview


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1. Electronically available data ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

2. Study of availability of data

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔


Tenderandreviewacase-based,socio-economicanalysisoftheavailabilityofpublicgeospatialdatainNorway

Theministryisconsideringtheanalysis,completingthisaction.TheanalysiswillbeusedtodevelopanactionplanformakingGeographicInformationSystem(GIS)dataavailableinthecontextofsectorspecificwork,referencedabove.TheIRMresearcherswereunabletofindfurtherinformationonhowthisisdoneoranyspecificimpactsthattheanalysismayhavehad.

Diditmatter?Thiscommitmentissimultaneouslyimpossiblyambitious(requiringallgovernmentagencies“tomakepublicdataavailablesothatitcanbeusedbyothers”)andnotablyunambitious(commissioningamappingofavailableGISdata).However,activitiesattachedtothiscommitmentwouldhavebeenundertakeneveniftheOGPactionplandidnotexist.AlthoughinternationalcommitmentssuchastheOGPprovideauseful“pressurepoint”inregulatingagencies'publicationofdata,KMD’scontactpointforthiscommitmentnotesthatitalsocanbestrategictodeemphasiseOGP,asthereareseveralotherinternationalpolicyarenasrelevanttothiscommitmentinwhichNorwayisalsoinvolved.PolicysuchastheEuropeanUniondirectivesondataprotectionismorefamiliarintheNorwegianpoliticalcontextandcanprovidestrongerincentivesandpoliticalcapital.4

MovingforwardKMDintendstoprioritisemakingculturaldata,transportationdata,researchdata,geo-dataandpublicexpensespubliclyavailable,andintendstodevelopactionplansforeachoftheseareas(notOGPactionplans).ThisseemstobeareasonableapproachtofurtherworktowardsacommitmentthatisinlinewithnationalpolicyandonwhichNorwayalreadyisperformingwell.

Obstaclestoimprovethereusabilityofpublicsectordataappeartobeprimarilyaboutcapacityofgovernmentagenciestoreleasedata,notlackofpoliticalinterest.Indeed,thebusinesscaseformakingthistypeofdataavailableseemstobewidelyacceptedbygovernmentactorsandiswellalignedwiththepoliticalprioritiesofthegovernmentinpower.Improvingandharmonisingcapacitiestoengageinreleasingdataacrossagencieswouldbeamoremeaningfulandambitiousfocusforthiscommitment.Specifically,theKMDshouldconsiderestablishingcommontechnicalstandardsfordatareleaseacrossstateenterprisesandconductingspecifictrainingexercisestobuildthecapacitiesofthoseenterprisestoreleasepublicsectordata.

1TheEuropeanParliamentandCouncil,“Directive2003/98/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandoftheCouncilof17November2003ontheRe-useofPublicSectorInformation,”OfficialJournalL345,3December2003,http://bit.ly/1OcXAce.2“NorwegianLicenseforPublicData,”Difi,http://data.norge.no/nlod/no/1.0.3GlobalOpenDataIndex,http://index.okfn.org/;“OpenDataBarometerSecondEdition(January2015),”http://www.opendatabarometer.org/.4ThomasNordtvetd,commitmentfocalpointatKMD,sectionforICTsandinnovation,interviewwiththeIRMresearchers,16March2015.


6.AccesstohealthdataOneimportanthealthpolicygoalistoensureeachindividual’sopportunitytobeinvolvedinprocessedanddecisionsconcerningtheirownhealth.Easyandsecuredigitalservicesshallmakecontactwiththehealthandcareserviceeasierandcontributetothecitizens’perceptionoftheserviceasaccessibleandcomprehensive.

Citizensshallhavesecureandeasyelectronicaccesstotheirownhealthrecords,Self-servicesolutionsandelectronicdialoguewithhealthpersonnel.[…]

Theservicesshallbeavailabletothecitizensonthenationalhealthportal,helsenorge.no.Through“Myhealth”ontheInternet,patientsandusersshouldbeabletoaccesstotheirownhealthrecords.Throughsecurechannels,itwillbepossibleforcitizenstohaveanelectronicdialoguewithhealthpersonnel.Self-servicesolutionsforelectronicschedulingandrenewalofprescriptionsandelectronicdialoguewithhealthpersonnelwillalsobeoffered.Citizensshallalsohaveaccesstoinformationaboutavailableservicesandtreatmentquality.Thisinformationwillbeavailableonhelsenorge.noandgivethecitizensassistanceinfindinghealthandcareservicethatsuitstheirneeds.Public,non-personaldatafromthehealthsectorshallbemadeavailableonhelsenorge.notosupportdevelopmentofuser-adapted,Internet-basedhealthservicesandappsthatthepublicsectorwillnotbecapableofdevelopingalone.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

Servicesareavailableonhelsenorge.no.Electronicidentification(eID)withhighlevelofsecurityisanimportantcomponentinordertoestablishdigitalservicesforthecitizens.

ACTIVITIES

Servicesaretobeestablishedandfurtherimprovedonthehealthportalhelsenorge.no.CollaborationbetweentheDirectorateofHealth,asownerofhelsenorge.no,andthehealthcareprovider’sorganisationsisnecessarytoprovideaccesstopatientrecords.


CommitmentOverview

Specificity OGPValueRelevance PotentialImpact Completion

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Whathappened?Servicesareavailableonhelsenorge.no

Anumberofpreliminarystepshavebeentakentowardsthisobjective.Useraccesstoelectronicprescriptionshasbeenestablishedonwww.helsenorge.no.Accesstopersonal


healthdataonlinehasbeenestablishedfor700,000people.Apilotprojectofaccesstopatientjournalsfromhospitalshasbeeninitiated,andonlineappointmentbookinganddigitalhealthcaredialoguescurrentlyarebeingtestedwithselecthealthcareinstitutions.Sincethecommitmentdoesnotspecifywhichservices,orforwhom,thisactioncanbeunderstoodascompleted.

Electronicidentification(eID)withhighlevelofsecurity

TheIRMresearcherswerenotabletodeterminewhetheraneIDwasincludedintheaboveservices.

Diditmatter?TheactivitiesreferencedinthiscommitmentarepartofabroadereffortbytheNorwegianGovernmenttoreformNorwegianhealthcarepolicy,withafocusonreducingwaitingtimesforaccesstohealthcareandimprovingqualityofhealthservices.1TheIRMresearchershavefoundnoevidencethattheactionplanplayedaroleinmotivatingtheseactivities.Theactivities,iftheyarecompleted,representminor,butpositivestepstowardsaverybroadandambitiousgoal.

Thereissignificantpoliticalinterestinthisareaatthemoment,aswellasanumberofprivatesectoractorscurrentlyworkingtoaccessandcapitaliseonhealthdata.However,theIRMresearcherswerenotabletoidentifysignificantcitizensorcivilsocietydemandforthisdata.

MovingforwardAswithothercommitmentsrelatedtoaccesstoinformation,thereappearstobeafundamentalmisalignmentbetweenthesupplyanddemandforinformation.Othermechanisms(suchasOEPandtheFreedomofInformationAct)andothertypesofinformation(suchasmunicipalplanninginformation)appeartobemuchmoreindemandandmoreappropriateasthefocusofOGPcommitments.TheMinistry’sself-assessmentreportindicatesthatthiscommitmentwillnotbeterminated,butwillcontinueaspartoftheMinistry’son-goingwork.TheIRMresearchersrecommendthatthisworkcontinue,butnotbeincludedinOGP.

1MinistryofHealthandHumanServices,“Sykehustalen2015,”PressRelease,GovernmentofNorway,7January2015,http://bit.ly/1Vt00lb.


7.RenewaloftheGovernment’swebsite(regjeringen.no–government.no)Regjeringen.noisajointportalforallofthe17NorwegianministriesandtheOfficeofthePrimeMinister.Thecurrentsolutionissixyearsold[…].

DSSwishesto

• improvesearchfacilitiesonregjeringen.no

• makeiteasierforuserstofindrelevantdocuments

• makeiteasierforuserstofindtheirwayaroundandknowexactlywhichwebsitestheyarevisiting

• createamoreuser-friendlydesign.


Theobjectiveistodeliverimprovementsandfurtherdevelopmentofthesolutionduring2013and2014.Ministriesaretakingpartinthedevelopmentwork,andusertestingisanimportantinstrument.Thechangesmustbemadeinsuchawaythattheyprovidegoodsupportfortheongoingworkoftheministriesbyintroducingchangesandrestructuringstepbystep.Ministriesmustbecloselyinvolvedinthedevelopmentwork,andusertestingandevaluationwillbecarriedoutcontinuously.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

Thefirstimprovementsmustbecarriedoutbytheendof2014


Commitment Overview


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Whathappened?AredesignofRegjeringen.nobeganbeforethelaunchofthesecondactionplan,andanewwebsitewaslaunched15December2014.Thiswouldseemtocompletethecommitment,whichcalledforthefirstimprovementstothewebsitetobedeliveredbeforetheendof2014.

Diditmatter?Asstatedintheactionplan,theGovernmentAdministrationServices(DSS)startedworkonimprovingthewebsitebeforetheactionplanwasfinalised.DSSalsonotesthatthey


considerwebdevelopmentandimprovementstothegovernment’swebsitestobecontinuousworkwithnoenddate.

Assuch,thiscommitmentrepresentsaminorimprovementinthegovernmentale-platformbecauseitdoesnotintroduceatotallynewarenaforinformationsharingorinteractionwithcitizens.Rather,itrenewstheplatformthatisalreadyinplace.TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoidentifyanysignificantcomplaintsordemandsfromcivilsocietyorcitizensforimprovementstothegovernment’swebpage.

MovingforwardAsDSSstatedintheirself-assessmentreport,theworkonimprovingandmanagingthewebpageiscontinuous,andtherewillalwaysbeissuessubjectedtorevisionandrenewal.ThisispartofDSS’son-goingworktasks,notworthprioritisationintheOGPprocess.


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8.DeclarationofprinciplesforinteractionanddialoguewithNGOsNGOsareindependentplayersincivilsociety.Atthesametime,Norwayhasalongtraditionforcloseinteractionbetweenthevoluntarysectorandthepublicauthoritiesinanumberofdifferentareas.InordertopromotegreaterpredictabilityandacommonunderstandingintheinteractionanddialoguebetweentheauthoritiesandtheNGOs,adeclarationofprinciplesistobeprepared.ThedeclarationofprinciplesistoincludetheroleoftheNGOsinNorwegiansocietyandthespecialcharacteristicsofvoluntarywork.ThedeclarationofprincipleswillbebasedonthefundamentalprincipleslaiddownintheCouncilofEurope’s“CodeofGoodPracticeforCivilParticipationintheDecision-MakingProcess”preparedbyinternationalNGOs.


TheMinistryofCulturehasresponsibilityfortheworkonadeclarationofprinciplesforinteractionanddialoguewithNGOs.ThedeclarationofprincipleswillbesubmittedtotheGovernment.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

Workistobestartedonadeclarationofprinciplesfordialogueandinteractionwithvoluntaryorganizations.


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Whathappened?On3September2014,theMinistryofCultureinvitedcivilsocietytoameetingontheissue.Adraftoftheprincipleswaspublishedon5December2014,theU.N.InternationalVolunteerDay,andisavailableinEnglish.1Thedeclarationisnotasetofrules,butratheritestablishesaframeworkfordialogueandinteractionwiththevoluntarysectorirrespectiveofwhichministry,directorate,oragencyisinvolved.Itisintendedtoformpartofanintegratedvoluntary-sectorpolicy.Civilsocietyrepresentativeswereinvitedtoasummitwiththegovernmentandinvitedtogivefeedbacktothedeclarationby5March2015,aftertheperiodofimplementationcoveredbythisreport,atwhichpointareviseddeclarationwasdeliveredtogovernment.Thiscompletedthecommitment.

Diditmatter?BasedontheinformationavailabletotheIRMresearchers,theactivitiesreferencedaboverepresentasmallbutpositivesteptowardsbettercooperationwithcivilsociety.Italso


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mustbenotedthattherelationshipbetweengovernmentandcivilsocietyinNorwayisgenerallyquitegood.Whiletherearesomedisagreementsonpolicyandprocedure,generallyNorwegiangovernmentandcivilsocietytendtosharenormativeframeworksandenjoyastrongbasisforcooperation.

TheIRMresearcherswereunabletofindanyevidencethattheNorwegiancivilsocietyhadexpressedademandfortheseprinciplesorthatthisOGPcommitmentplayedasignificantroleinpromptingtheirdevelopment.ThissuggeststhattheinitiativewouldhavebeenundertakenindependentoftheOGP.NoneofthestakeholdersinterviewedbytheIRMresearcherswerefamiliarwiththeinitiative.

MovingforwardPendingfurtherinformationonthecontentofthereviseddeclaration,therearenoclearnextstepstoadvanceopennessinthisarea,whichisalreadyquitestronginNorway.Barringexplicitdemandforimprovementinthisareafromcivilsociety,workrelatedtothiscommitmentshouldnotbeincludedinsubsequentactionplans.

1Notethatthisdeclarationusestheterms“voluntarysector”and“civilsociety”interchangeably.MinistryofCulture,“TheGovernment’sDeclarationonVoluntaryWork,”PressRelease,GovernmentofNorway,5December2014,http://bit.ly/1MOwPrv.


9.SimplificationanddigitaladministrationofarrangementsforNGOs[…]


TheMinistryofCulturewillmakeeffortstoensurethattherequirementsregardingapplicationsandreportingforvoluntaryorganizationsaresimplifiedwhereappropriate,thatinformationconcerningstategrantschemesiseasilyavailableandthat,inthelongterm,moreschemesarelinkedtotheRegisterofNon-ProfitOrganizations.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

Moresupportschemesforvoluntaryorganizationsare,inthelongterm,tobelinkedtotheRegisterofNon-ProfitOrganizations.


Commitment Overview


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Whathappened?TheMinistryofCulture’sself-assessmentreportedthatanoverviewofgrantschemesforvolunteerorganisationswaspublishedatregjeringen.no/frivilligtilskuddandthataguideforhowtoimprovegrantschemesforchildrenandyouthorganisationswaspublishedinMarch2014.1

Simplifiedrequirementsforapplicationsandreporting

Aguideforonespecificsectorhasbeenreleased,andalistofproposedapplicationprocedurestobesimplifiedhasbeenpublishedontheministry’swebsite.2However,theIRMresearcherswerenotabletofinddetailsonhowapplicationproceduresaretobesimplifiedorspecificexamplesofrequirementsforapplicationsandreportingthathavebeensimplified,improved,orotherwisechanged.

MoresupportschemeslinkedtotheRegisterofNon-ProfitOrganisations

TheIRMresearcherswereunabletofindevidencethatworkhasbeenundertakentowardsthisobjective.

Diditmatter?Thiscommitmentrepresentsanefforttoimprovetheefficiencyofcivilsociety’sengagementwithgovernment.Clearprocessesareagoodpracticeincommunicationbetweencivilsocietyandthegovernment,butifthiscommitmentisfulfilled,itwillnot


changethebasicmodeofoperationorcreateanewplatformforinteractionbetweencivilsocietyandthegovernment.Asmentionedinregardtoothercommitments,therelationshipbetweentheNorwegiangovernmentandNGOsisgenerallyquitegoodandproductive.Althoughtherearecertainlyexamplesoffrustrationsregardingprocessesandpriorities,theIRMresearchersconsiderthistobeinherenttorelationsbetweenfundersandrecipients,andtheyfoundnoindicationthattherewasawidespreaddemandbycivilsocietyforthesimplificationoftheseprocesses.

MovingforwardTheMinistry'sself-assessmentreportsuggeststhatcivilsocietywillbeconsultedregardingfurtherstepstoaddressonthiscommitment.Consultationcouldbeanimportantfirststeptoensuringthatworkintheareaofcivilsocietyengagementaddressesactualchallengesandneeds,whichisnotclearlythecaseforthiscommitment.

1Thelinkprovidedbythegovernmentforthispublicationisnolongerfunctional.2MinistryofCulture,“EasierGrantsforNGOs,”GovernmentofNorway,12December2014,http://bit.ly/1DnGbtv


10.Registeringandpreservingdigitaldocumentationproducedbypublicbodies[…]


Automatedandspecializedcasemanagementsystemsusedbypublicbodieswillincludearchivefunctionsthatlinktodocumentsandassociatedmetadata,andstoretheseinaccordancewithapprovedstandards.Thesefunctionswillensurepreservationofdigitaldocumentationintheshortandlongtermaswellastransparencyandfreedomofinformation.

Considerationwillalsobegiventoestablishingjointsolutionsforpreservingandmakingavailabledigitaldocumentationassoonasitisnolongerinactiveadministrativeuse.Thiswillensurebothcontinuedtransparencyandpublicconfidencethatsuchdocumentationisretainedinitsauthenticform.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

InworkonrevisionoftheArchivesAct,considerationhasbeengiventotherecommendationofthewhitepaperonarchiving,Meld.St.7(2012-2013),thatthecreationofarchivesshouldbeastatutoryfunctionofallelectronicsystemsforpublicdocumentsofarchivalvalue.Standardsandstandardizedsolutionshavebeendevelopedwithintheframeworkofabroadcooperationbetweenactorsinbothcentralgovernmentandmunicipaladministration.

ACTIVITIES

RevisionoftheArchivesAct.

Broadcooperationprojectonarchivesine-administrationincludingprinciples,methods,standards,systemssolutionsandorganizationalsolutions.


Commitment Overview


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Whathappened?Creationofarchivesshouldbeastatutoryfunctionofallelectronicsystemsforpublicdocumentsofarchivalvalue

WorktowardsthisobjectiveisexecutedthroughtheNationalArchives’(Riksarkivets)SAMDOKproject.Itisintendedtofacilitatecoordinationamongarchiveinstitutionsona


voluntarybasis,throughrepresentativeworkinggroupsintheprivatesector,themunicipalsector,andindigitalprocurement(e-forvaltning).1

WithinSAMDOK’sthreemainworkinggroups,thereare14tasksimplementedbyadiversegroupofpublicandprivateinstitutions.AsfarastheIRMresearchersareabletodetermine,the14tasksincludedwithinSAMDOKgenerallyconcernmappingofarchivingpracticesandopportunitiesforcollaborationamongvariousprivateandpublicbodiesthatengageinarchivingactivities.Thechallengesanddetailsrelatedtotheseprojectsarehighlyspecific,havingtodowithtechnicalstandardsandinstitutionalprocedures.TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoidentifyanyprojectsdirectlyrelatedtoopengovernmentthemes.TheIRMresearchersalsowereunabletoidentifySAMDOKactivitieswithexplicitrelevancetoaccountabilityoraccesstoinformation,althoughingeneral,archivingofpublicinformationisimportanttoboth.

TheSAMDOKprojectiswidelyregardedasasuccess,especiallyregardingthedegreeofcollaborationonarchivingstandardsacrosssectors.ThisprogrammewasinitiatedindependentlyoftheOGPprocessandwillcontinuetobeimplementedindependentlyoftheOGPprocess.TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoidentifyanycivilsocietyactorswhofeltthatthiswasapriorityareaforopengovernmentinNorway.

RevisionoftheArchivesAct

TheMinistryofCultureandtheNationalArchiveshaveestablishedaworkinggrouptoconsideradjustmentstotherelevantregulations.TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoidentifyanyspecificplansforspecificrevisionstothearchivesact.

Diditmatter?Thetwoactionsdescribedinthiscommitmentintroducenewactivitiesintheareaofarchiving,bothofwhichappeartohavebeeninitiatedindependentoftheactionplan.NoneofthecivilsocietyrepresentativesconsultedbytheIRMresearcherswerefamiliarwiththeseinitiatives,andnonesaidthattheywereimportanttoopennessandaccountabilityinNorway.

MovingforwardWorkonbothoftheseareaslikelyshouldproceedasplannedbecausetheywillhavepositiveconsequencesforNorwegiangovernmentalefficiency,buttheyarenotclearlypriorityareasforOGP.Further,giventhelackofdemandfromcitizensandcivilsociety,theyshouldnotbeincludedinsubsequentactionplans.

1SAMDOK,http://samdok.com/about/.


11.TheNorwegianCitizenSurvey(Innbyggerundersøkelsen)TheNorwegianCitizenSurveyisbothacitizensurveyandacustomersatisfactionsurvey.ItisoneofthelargestsurveysofpublicservicesinNorway.Thefirstsurveywaslaunchedin2010,thesecondin2012-2013.Theplanistocompletethesurveyeverysecondyear.[…]

Theresultsofthesurveyarefullytransparent,andtheresultsarefreeforallAgencies/Municipalitiesandcitizenstoadoptanduseandre-use.Theresponseratein2012-2013was41%.[…]

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

1.Norwaywillcarryoutathirdcitizensurveyin2015.

2.TheresultsshallbefreeforallAgencies/Municipalitiesandcitizenstoadoptanduseandre-use.


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Whathappened?Norwaywillcarryoutathirdcitizensurveyin2015

Thesurveywasconductedin2015asplanned,althoughaftertheimplementationperiodassessedbythisreport.Thesurveyincludesamoduleassessingindividualsatisfactionwith23nationalandmunicipalservicesintheareasofeducation,healthandculture.

Theresultsshallbefreeforallagencies,municipalitiesandcitizenstoadopt,use,andre-use

Resultsofprevioussurveysareavailablefordownloadandre-use.TheIRMresearchersexpectthatthiswillbethecaseforthe2015survey.

Diditmatter?Thissurveyprovidesagoodbasisforassessingandanalysingpublicopinionregardingwelfareservicesandpublicoffices.However,theDificontactpointforthesurveynotesthatthesignificantamountofbureaucracyandroutinessurroundingthesurveymeansthattherearenoclearentrypointsfortheOGPtoinfluenceitsdevelopmentorimplementation.OGPhasnothadinfluencedhowthesurveyhasbeendevelopedorimplemented.KMDreportssignificantengagementbetweenthesurveyandrelevantministriesandpublicagencies,includingdirectreferenceofsurveydatainstrategicprocesses.KMDalsonotes


thatsurveydatahasbeenreportedinmediaarticles.TheIRMresearchersdonothaveinformationonwhetherorhowsurveydatahasbeenusedspecificallytoinformpolicyorgovernanceprocessesrelatedtoopengovernmentvalues.

MovingforwardWhileitisusefultocollectinformationonhowcitizensandresidentsexperiencethequalityofgovernmentservicesinNorway,itisnotclearhowthisinformationisbeingused,orcouldbeused,toimproveservicesandsupportmoreopengovernmentinNorway.TheIRMresearchersrecommendconductinganassessmenttodeterminehowresultsofthissurveyarebeingusedtoimprovepolicyandgovernance,aswellaswhatadjustmentstothesurveymightincreaseuptakebypolicy-makers.TheIRMresearchersalsosuggestaddingadditionalquestionsoranadditionalmoduletoidentifywhichopengovernment-relatedissuesandchallengesareprioritiesforNorwegiancitizens.


12.WhistleblowingAnevaluationisbeingcarriedoutoftherulesconcerningwhistleblowing.Theevaluationisbeingconductedbyanindependentbody.Areferencegrouphasbeenestablishedforthisproject,withparticipationbythesocialpartners.

Thefinalreportoftheprojectistobepublishedbytheendof2013.TheevaluationwillsubsequentlybefollowedupbytheMinistryofLabour,andanyneedsforamendmentswillbeconsideredinthatconnection.


Anindependentevaluationofthewhistleblowingruleswillbecarriedout.

Commitment Overview


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Whathappened?Conductevaluationontherulesconcerningwhistleblowing

Anevaluationofwhistle-blowerruleswascarriedoutinthefirsthalfof2013,beforethesecondnationalactionplanwasfinalised.TheevaluationnotedthatNorwegianregulationsdidnotmeetinternationalstandardsonwhistle-blowing.

FinalreportwillbefollowedupbytheMinistryofLabour

TheMinistryofLabourcurrentlyisreviewingthereportandwillconsiderfollowup.Thecommitmentappearstohavebeenfulfilled.

Diditmatter?Theevaluationofthewhistleblowingruleswasdecideduponandlargelyconductedbeforethesecondactionplanwasfinalised.Therefore,thecommitmentdidnotinfluencetheMinistryofLabour’sworkonthisissue.Thisis,nonethelessanimportantpolicyareaforopengovernmentinNorway,andrecentwhistleblowingeventshaveprovokedsignificantcritiquefromcivilsociety.Atthemoment,Norwegianwhistleblowinglawplacestheonusofproofonthewhistle-blower,ratherthanontheresponsiblelegalentity.Thisdoesnotmeetinternationalbestpracticesforwhistleblowingregulations,aswasstatedclearlyintheassessmentdeliveredtotheMinistryofLabour.

MovingforwardThiscommitmentmeritsfurtherattention,andcivilsocietyrepresentativesinterviewedbytheIRMresearchershaveemphasisedhowimportantwhistle-blowerprotectionisforNorway.TheMinistryofLabourshouldadoptprogressiveandambitiousactionsonthe


basisofitsreview,includingashiftofburdenofprooffromwhistle-blowerstotheresponsibleentity.ThisshouldbeincludedinNorway'snextactionplan,withcleardetailsandambitiousobjectives.


13.Strengthenedinformationexchangeformoreefficientcrimepreventionandcombating[…]


Norwayaimstoachievebettercoordinationofinformationoncombatingcrime.[…]initiativeshavealreadybeentakeninseveralarenas,andfollow-upofthisworkiscontinuing.Noamendmentstospecificrulesareunderconsideration.Theobjectiveisthatthepoliceandotheractorswillgiveprioritytoinformationexchangeandcooperation,andexploitthepotentialofcurrentlegislation.

ACTIVITIES

Pilotprojectswillbecarriedoutonthecooperationbetweenthepoliceandotheractors.Anevaluationwillbemadeofcooperationinbodiesforcooperationandcoordinationbetweenthepoliceandthelocalauthorities(politiråd)inordertofurtherdevelopsuchbodiesasarenasforinformationexchange.

Editorialnote:Thetextofthecommitmentswasabridgedforformattingreasons.Forthefulltextofthecommitment,pleasesee http://bit.ly/1QlVIja.

Commitment Overview


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Whathappened?Policeandotheractorswillgiveprioritytoinformationexchangeandcooperation

TheIRMresearcherswerenotabletosecureevidencethattheNorwegianpoliceandotheractorshaveprioritisedthis.

Pilotprojectswillbecarriedoutthroughthecooperationbetweenthepoliceandotheractors

TheNorwegianself-assessmentreportprovidedbytheMinistryofJusticecontactpointreferencespilotprojectsorganisedincollaborationwithaprivatesectoradvisorintheNationalCriminalInvestigationService,butdoesnotprovideanydetails,andtheIRMresearcherswereunabletodeterminewhattheseprojectswere.ItisnotcleariftheNationalCriminalInvestigationServiceconstitutesthe“otheractors”referredtobythecommitmentorifthislanguageisintendedtorefertoprivatesectoractors.Theself-assessmentreportalsoindicatesthatthiscollaborationwaspositiveandwillleadtotheestablishmentofpermanentpositionsinpolicedistrictsthatwillaimtomaintaincontact


withtheprivatesector.Thepositionswillconstituteanetworktoassisttheprivatesectorinpreventingcorruption.

Anevaluationwillbemadeofcooperationandcoordinationbetweenthepoliceandthelocalauthorities

IRMresearcherswereunabletoidentifyanyinformationaboutaformalevaluation.

Diditmatter?ThecapacityoftheNorwegiangovernmentandpolicetoenforceeconomiccriminalaccountabilityisanimportantissueforNorway.ProminentseriesofinvestigationsinthemostpopularNorwegiandailynewspaper1havesuggestedtheNorwegiangovernmenthaspoorcontrolsforavoidingcorruptioninprocurement,especiallywithregardtoidentifyingcompanieswitharecordofcorruption.TheIRMresearcherswerenotabletodeterminewhetherthiscommitmenthadmeaningfulimpactonhowtheissuesareregardedbyrelevantactorsorwhetheritmotivatedthepilotprojectsandnetworkdevelopmentreferencedabove.Theactionsareamodeststeptowardsincreasedcontrolsandaccountabilityforeconomiccrime,buttheirrelationshiptotheOGPcommitmentisunclear.Withoutaclearrelationshipbetweentheactionsandthecommitment,thecommitment’srelevancetoOGPvaluesremainsunclear.

MovingforwardInformationaboutanypilotprojectsshouldbemadepublicandsharedwithCSOsworkingactivelyonissuesofeconomiccorruptioninNorway.Additionalplansforinformationsharingandanyotherworkinthisareaalsoshouldbeshared.Aswritten,however,thiscommitment’srelevancetoopengovernmentvaluesisunclear,andthecommitmentshouldnotbecontinuedinfurtheractionplans.

1Kjell-IvarGrondal,“PoliceMakeMajorCrackdownonConstructionIndustry,”StavangerAftenblad,6May2015,http://bit.ly/1hgfNXT;EinarHaakaasandSiriGedde-Dahl,“WarningsAgainstUndeclaredWorkandMafiaDevelopmentinVestfold,”Nyheter,23August2014,http://bit.ly/1LomiGj


14.Strengtheningthetransparencyofpublicauthoritiesandadministrationa)Removaloftheexceptionprovisionforpublicsectorcompanieswithnoemployees.

Pursuanttosection1,secondparagraph(a)oftheFreedomofInformationRegulations,theFreedomofInformationActshallonlyapplytoindependentlegalpersonswithemployeespermanentlyemployedinadministrativeposts.Thebackgroundforthiswasthatsuchlegalpersonsoftenhaveno-onewhocanpractiseandfollowuptheAct,cf.theRoyalDecreeof17October2008,pages63–64.Manycompanieshaveprovedtobeorganizedinsuchawaythat,whiletheyhavenoemployeesoftheirown,theyaremanagedbyemployeesofparentcompanies,subsidiaries,externalconsultants,etc.,andthatanumberofsuchcompanieshaveconsiderableturnover.[…]

b)BetterpracticeoftheFreedomofInformationAct

[…]RegularcoursesandlecturesareheldonpracticeofthearchivelegislationandtheFreedomofInformationAct.Thiswillbecontinued.TransparencyInternationalNorwayhasproposedthat“aspartoftheforthcomingevaluationoftheFreedomofInformationAct,considerationshouldbegiventowhetherpenaltiesmayhelpinensuringbetterpracticeofandcompliancewiththeintentionsoftheAct”.


• Norwaywillconsidertheneedforamendmentstosection1,secondparagraph(a),oftheFreedomofInformationRegulations.However,itisnotpossibletopredictwithanycertaintywhetheranyamendmentswillbemadeorwhatsuchamendmentswouldconsistof.

• Duringfollow-upoftheevaluationoftheFreedomofInformationAct,considerationwillbegiventowhetherthequestionoftheprovisionofseparatepenaltyprovisionsintheFreedomofInformationActshouldberaised.However,theresearcherswhoaretoconducttheevaluationwillnotconsiderthisquestion.

• TheworkontraininginthepracticeofthearchivelegislationandtheFreedomofInformationActwillbecontinued.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK:

• CoursesandlectureswillbeheldonhowthearchivelegislationandtheFreedomofInformationActshallandshouldbepracticed.

• Duringfollow-upoftheevaluationoftheFreedomofInformationAct,considerationwillbegiventowhetherthequestionoftheprovisionofseparatepenaltyprovisionsintheFreedomofInformationActshouldberaised.However,theresearcherswhoaretoconducttheevaluationwillnotconsiderthisquestion.

• TheFreedomofInformationActshallbeevaluatedbyanindependentbody.Inconnectionwithevaluation,themainemphasisistobeplacedonwhethertheintentionofgreateraccesstoinformationhasbeenmet.Duringtheevaluation,particularattentionwillbedevotedtothepracticeoftheexemptionfromaccesstointernaldocuments.



Commitment Overview


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Whathappened?Considertheneedforamendmentstosection1,secondparagraph(a),oftheFreedomofInformationRegulations,includingtheneedforseparatepenaltyprovisions

AmendmentstoFOIAhavebeendiscussedtoremovethelimitationofitsapplicabilitytolegalentitieswithfull-time,administrativeemployees.ThiswouldsignificantlybroadenFOIA’sapplicability,especiallyinmunicipalgovernments.AccordingtotheMinistryofJustice'sinputtoNorway'sself-assessmentreport,considerationofamendmentstoFOIAisinpreparatoryphases,anditisunclearwhenanevaluationwillbefeasible.1TheIRMresearchershavenotbeenabletodeterminemoreaboutthispreparatoryphase.TheMinistrycontactreportsthatitwasdifficulttobegintheevaluationduetoanumberofbureaucraticandproceduralissues.Thecontactreportsthattheevaluationisnowunderway,althoughithasnotyetproducedmeaningfulinsights.2

ContinuedtraininginthepracticeofthearchivelegislationandFOIA

TheMinistryofJusticereportedthatregularcoursesandlectureshavebeenheldontheimplementationandpracticeofthearchivelegislationandFOIA.TheMinistryalsoreportedthat,inthefuture,thiscommitmentwillbecontinuedthroughDifiandwillbeheldonline,notinperson.TheMinistry'scontactexpressedconcernthatthequalityofcoursesofferedwouldsufferasaconsequence.3TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoobtaininformationfromgovernmentonthescopeandreachofthecoursesandlecturesheld.

Diditmatter?NorwegianCSOsintervieweddescribeFOIAasakeystoneofNorwegianaccountability,butonethatisnotwellknownorused.Recenteventssuggestthatinsomeareas,forexampleinthedefencesector,whereFOIAisnoteasytouseandrequestsarerarelyfulfilled.AnecdotalevidencereferencedininterviewstheIRMresearchershadwithcivilsocietyalsosuggeststhatFOIAisnotconsistentlyunderstoodorprioritisedindifferentgovernmentagencies.

FOIAisacriticalpieceoflegislationforNorwegiangovernanceandaccountability.EvaluationofFOIAisanimportant,regularactivity.But,becausethecommitmentiscurrentlyworded,nospecificorambitiousactivitiesareattachedtothatevaluation.TrainingonFOIAalsoisimportant,butitispoorlydefinedinthiscommitment.TheMinistryemphasisedthatthewayinwhichtrainingiscarriedouthasatremendousinfluenceonhowimpactfulthetrainingwillbe.


ThiscommitmentappearstohavebeeninitiatedandexecutedcompletelyindependentlyfromtheOGPactionplan.

MovingforwardFurthereffortsareneededtoraiseawarenessaboutFOIAacrossministriesandgovernmentagencies.Trainingactivitiesalsoshouldbeconductedbroadlyacrossrelevantagenciesandshouldbeintegratedintoothertrainingtoensurecoverage.

DiscussionswithNorwegiancivilsocietyandjournalistssuggestthatFOIArequestsoftenarerejectedoutofhand,butthatrepeatedfilingofthesamerequestcanoftenresultinasuccessfulapplication.AlthoughitispossibletoappealdenialsofFOIArequests,itisnotpossibletoappealalackofresponse,andtherearenosanctionsinplacetoencourageagenciestorespondtorequests.ThissuggeststhatFOIAimplementationcouldbestrengthenedmoregenerally.Toinformimplementation,thetraining,andawareness-raisingactivities,theNorwegiangovernmentshouldconductanassessmentofFOIArequeststoidentifytheconditionsunderwhichtheyareapprovedandrejected.

Suchactivitiesshouldbeincludedinanambitiouscommitmentforfreedomofinformationinfutureactionplans.

1MinistryJustice,inputtonationalself-assessment[notpubliclyavailable],viaemailtoIRMresearchers,16April2015.2OleKnutLøstegaard,commitmentfocalpointattheMinistryofJustice,legalsection,interviewwiththeIRMresearcher,18March2015.3MinistryJustice,inputtonationalself-assessment[notpubliclyavailable],viaemailtoIRMresearchers,16April2015.


15.eGovernmentwithanend-userfocus[…]


TheAgencyforPublicManagementandeGovernment’s(Difi)strategyistohaveauser-centricapproachtodigitalservicedevelopment.Serviceinnovationandimplementationwillbebasedonknowledgederivedfromcontactwithendusers.By2014Difiwilldevelopguidelinesforthescreeningofdigitalpublicserviceswithauser-centredapproach.Difiwillalsoconductuser-centredstudiestoanalyseobstaclestouseandsuggestimprovements.Resultsandresourceswillbemadeavailabletoallstakeholdersinvolvedinserviceinnovation,productionandimplementation.

KEYIMPACTBENCHMARK

Difiwilldevelopguidelinesfortheprovisionofdigitalpublicserviceswithauser-centredapproach.


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Whathappened?Difihasdevelopedguidelinesfortheevaluationofdigitalservices,whichhavebeenusedtoevaluate52digitalservices.Theresultsofthesescreeningsareavailableathttp://kvalitet.difi.no/resultat.Openconsultationsalsohavebeenheld,soliciting125commentsondigitalservices,whichareavailableathttp://kvalitet.difi.no.TheIRMresearcherfoundnopublicrecordofuserstudies.KMDreportsthattheyarenotpublicduetoprivacyconcerns.

Diditmatter?Thedevelopmentofnewguidelinesrepresentsanewactionthatdoesnotsimplycontinuetheeffortsofpreviousdecisions.Whileproducingguidelinesforevaluationofpublicservicesisacommendablesteptowardsimprovingservices,thisprocesshasnotbeenpublicfacing.Moreover,itisnotclearwhetherthisactivitywaspromptedbythesecondnationalactionplanorindependently.Eitherway,althoughthequalityofguidelinescanbeimportantforsettingstandards,itisworthnotingthatthiscommitmentdoesnotintroduceanychangesinactualaccesstoinformationoreaseofpublicparticipation.Therefore,thecommitmentmaintainsthestatusquo.


MovingforwardDifiwillconductanevaluationofpublicwebsitesanddigitalservicesonaregularbasis.Thenextroundwillbein2015-2016,andtheguidelineswillberevisedonaregularbasis.TheIRMresearchersrecommendthatthenextnationalactionplanfocusonhowevaluationsandguidelinesareusedtoincreaseaccessibilityandparticipation.


16.PlainLegalLanguageAsurvey(telephoneinterviews)in2009revealedthattwooutofthreeNorwegiancitizensthoughtthatthepublicsectordoesnotwriteinplainlanguageandfoundpublicformsdifficulttofillin.

TheNorwegianPlainLanguageprojectwasformallylaunchedinMarch2009withtheaimofstimulatingpublicagenciestoadoptgoodanduser-friendlylanguage.[…]


Norwayhasdecidedtolookintotheoriginofunclearlanguagethroughaseparateprojectcalled“PlainLegallanguage”.

Inthisproject,wewillexaminesomeActsandreformulatetheminplainlanguage.PreferencewillbegiventoActsthatareimportanttocitizensandActsthataffectmanycitizens.Theaimofthisworkistodeviseageneralmethodthatcanbeusedinthefuture,bothwhendraftingnewActsandamendingorrevisingexistingActs.WeaimtobeginexaminingthefirsttwoActsbefore1July2014.

KeyImpactBenchmark:

WewillbeginexaminingthefirsttwoActsbefore1July2014


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Whathappened?ThePlainLegalLanguageprojectwasinitiatedthroughministrycollaborationasasub-projectofthePlainLanguageProjectin2011.Todate,theprojecthasidentifiedfourlawswhoselanguagewillbeclarified(theEducationAct,theInheritanceAct,theLawGoverningPersonnelintheDefenceSector,andtheAdoptionAct)1andaconferenceonclearlegallanguagehasbeenheld.2TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoidentifyanytimelineaccordingtowhichtheselawswouldbereformulated,althoughKMDhasreferencedtheirexistencewithinthefourindividualministries.Thecommitmentaswritteniscontradictorybecausethecommitmentistoexamineandreformulateacts,buttheimpactbenchmarkisto“beginexaminingsomeacts.”Itisthusnotentirelyclearwhetherthecommitmentisfulfilled.TheIRMresearchersassumedthelowestthreshold(“beginexamining”)andconsiderthiscommitmentfulfilled.


Diditmatter?Norwegianlegallanguagegenerallyisunderstoodtobecumbersomeandchallengingfornon-experts,aswasdocumentedinthegovernmentalsurvey.ThismotivatedthePlainLanguageProject.Ifthisprojectweretoleadtomoreaccessiblelegislation,thatwouldbeapositivedevelopment.However,asindicatedbythestakeholderstotheIRMresearchersandintheNorwegianmedia,itisnotclearlyapressingissueforopengovernmentorgovernmentaccountability.Thecommitmentto“examinesomeactsandreformulatethem”alsoisnotambitious.

TheIRMresearchersfeelthatplainlegallanguageisimportant,butonlyshouldbeincludedinfutureactionplanstotheextentthatitexplicitlyrelatestoOGPvalues,andonlythroughclearandexplicitcommitments.

MovingforwardTheIRMresearchersseenoclearactionpointsmovingforwardandassumethatthisworkwillproceedpositivelyofitsownaccord,withoutinclusionintheOGPframework.

1“KlartIovsprak,”Difi,http://bit.ly/1aZoROA.2“Lovsprakskonferansen14.April2015,”Difi,http://bit.ly/1GFAreJ.


17.NorwegianGrantsPortal(MFA)TheMinistryofForeignAffairs'grantsportalispublishedontheMinistry’swebpage.ThegrantsportalprovidesanoverviewofallsignedgrantagreementsbytheMinistryandNoradwithplannedoractualdisbursementsfor2013andthecomingfouryears.TheportalgiveseasyaccesstodatainlinewiththeprinciplesandobjectivesofIATI.Theoverviewshowsthecountriesinwhichthegrantsaretobeused,thegrantrecipientstheMinistryandNoradhaveenteredintoagreementswith,andthesectorsthataretoreceivefunding.[…]


ThedataintheMinistryofForeignAffairsgrantsportalattheNorwegianGovernmentwebsitecomplieswithIATI,andisupdatedmonthly.


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Whathappened?NorwegianGovernmentgrantportalcomplieswithInternationalAidTransparencyInternational(IATI)

TheIATIstandardisadatastandardwhichdictatesthestructureinwhichinformationoninternationalaidisstructuredandpresented.AftertheIATIstandardwasintroduced,theNorwegiangrantsportalwasredesignedtocomplywiththatstandardand,accordingtotheNorwegiangovernment,isnowcompliant.

NorwegianGovernmentgrantportalisupdatedmonthly

KMDreportsthatthegrantsportalisupdatedonamonthlybasis.

Diditmatter?Aswithothercommitments,thisappearstorepresentafundamentalmisalignmentbetweensupplyanddemandforinformationintheNorwegiangovernancecontext.Thereisavigorousnationaldebateabouttheefficiencyandallocationofforeignaid,andseveralrecentcriticalreportsfromthenationalAuditorsOffice.1However,theIRMresearcherswereunabletofindanyevidenceofdemandsforIATIcomplianceinanationalaccountabilitycontextortofindpeoplewhoactuallyusetheNorwegiangrantsportalforaccountabilitypurposes.Norisitclearthatthegrantsportalhasthefunctionalitynecessarytomakeitausefulaccountabilitytool.


MovingforwardTodeterminehowthegrantsportalcouldbemadeausefultoolforenhancingnationalaccountabilityforinternationalaid,theNorwegianGovernmentshouldholdconsultationswiththeNationalAuditor’sOfficeandBistandsAktuelt(theprimaryjournalisticpublicationontheNorwegianaidindustry).Effortsalsoshouldbemadetodeterminehowthisinformationisaccessedandusedbyactorsinaidrecipientcountries.Thisinformationshouldbetakenintoconsiderationwhenupdatingorredesigningtheservice.TheNorwegianGovernmentshouldprovideapublicrecordoftheconsultationsandtheirplanstoimprovethegrantsportal.

1See,forexample,“BistandTilRenEnergiHarGittFaResultater,”OfficeoftheAuditorGeneralofNorway,http://bit.ly/1PT8QrG;“RiksrevisjonensUndersokelseAvBistandTilGodtStyresettOgAntikorrupsjonIUtvalgteSamarbeidslad,”OfficeoftheAuditorGeneralofNorway,http://bit.ly/1O9gcZ6.


18.Aninternationalconventionoragreementonfinancialtransparency[…]Norwaywillinitiateaninternationaldialogueonstricterrulesforfinancialtransparency,forexample,intheformofaconventionoragreement.Theworkwillbelong-termandpromotethenormativeagendaoffinancialandeconomictransparency.Norwaywillbuildacommonunderstandingwithlike-mindedcountriesaboutwhatsuchrulesmightentail.Theobjectiveofthedialoguewillbetodeveloprulestopromotetransparencyininternationalfinancialtransactionsinordertohelppreventtheillicitfinancialflows.Itmayinvolveobligationstoregisterandexchangeinformationonfinancialtransactionsacrossbordersormutuallegalassistanceintrackingtheflowofmoney.

[…]Toassesstheneedforandthecontentofapossibleconventionoragreement,itwouldbeappropriatetohaveaninternationaldialogue.Thisdialoguewillaimtoidentifytherelevantforumstodevelopnewrulesandthesubsequentenforcementprocedures,strategicalliancepartners.ThecontentofanyobligationsmustbeadaptedtonationallegislationandobligationsunderotherconventionssuchastheEU/EEAregulations.Objectionsofaproceduralnature,includingthecostsofpossiblenewreportingobligations,mustbeconsidered.


TheGovernmentwillinitiateaninternationaldialogueonstricterrulesforfinancialtransparency.


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Whathappened?Thesecondnationalactionplanindicatedthatworktowardsthiscommitmentwouldbelong-termandaimtopromotethenormativeagendaoffinancialandeconomictransparency.Preliminarytalkswithothercountrieshaveneverthelessshowedlittleinternationalsupportforsuchaninitiative,accordingtoministryofficialsandNorwegiancivilsociety.InJanuary2014,theMinistrydecidedtoendtheirworkforpromotingaconvention.Thecommitmentwasthuswithdrawn,despitethefactthecommitmentisonlyforthegovernmenttoinitiateadiscussionandcouldhavebeenconsideredcompleted.

Diditmatter?Thiscommitmentwouldhavebeenveryambitiousifitsetouttocreateanewinternationalagreementonillicitfinancialflows.However,itonlyaimedtoinitiateaninternational


dialogueonthisissue,andthatdialoguewasabandoned.ItisalsoworthnotingthattheMinistryofForeignAffairscommissionedadraftconventionfromtheInternationalLawandPolicyInstitutehalfayearbeforethesecondactionplanwasfinalised,soactivitytowardsthiscommitmentwasinitiatedindependentlyoftheOGPactionplan.

MovingforwardAbandoningworktowardsaninternationalconventionwasjustifiedgiventhelackofpoliticaltractionamongothercountries,andcivilsocietyhasapplaudedNorway’salternatefocusonspecificmechanismsinthisarea,suchasthecountry-by-countryreportingmechanism(whichisthesubjectofcommitment24inthesecondactionplan).1Thiscommitmentshouldbereformulatedinfutureactionplanstopursuemoremodestandrealisticgoalsthananinternationalconvention,suchasfacilitatingimplementationofthecountry-by-countryreportingmechanismordevelopingmechanismstosupportbetterreportingtoExtractiveIndustriesTransparencyInitiative(EITI).

1BorghildTonnessen-Krokan,“VilRegjeringenBeSelskaperRapportereomSkatteparadiser?,”NyeMeninger,12June2015,http://bit.ly/1LonyJe.


19.Reducingconflictsofinterests–Post-employmentregulations[…]Theregulationsapplytothosewhohavedecidedtotakeupanewpostorhaveaccepteddutyoutsidethestatesectororintendtostartupabusiness.Theaimoftheregulationsistoavoidconflictofinterest,unfaircompetitionanddecreaseofconfidenceinthestatesector.Theregulationsmaybeimposedifthereisaclauseintheemployee’sworkingagreement(orintheappointmentdocumentforministersandstatesecretaries).

[…]In2005,Norwayalsointroducedregulations(temporarydisqualification)forpoliticiansmovingtopositionsastopcivilservantsintheministries.


Norwaywillconsiderformalizingthethreesetsofpost-employmentregulationsbylawratherthanasaclauseintheemployee’scontractofemployment(ortheappointmentdocumentforministersandstatesecretaries).


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Whathappened?Thepotentialmisuseofpoliticalinfluencefollowingtheterminationofpoliticalofficehasbeenatopicofconcern.Thedangerof“revolvingdoors”betweenpoliticaloffice,privatesectorpositions,andlobbyingpositionsalsohasbeenatopicofconcerninNorwegianmedia.1ThisattentionledtoaparliamentaryhearingandtheproposalofalegalamendmenttotheNorwegianPost-EmploymentRegulations,whichspecifiedquarantineperiodsforpoliticiansandcivilservants.Itwassubmittedtoparliamentaryleadershipon18December2014.

Diditmatter?Aswithmanyofthecommitmentsinthisactionplan,thiscommitmentisquitevague,whichmakesitdifficulttoevaluateprogresstowardscompletionortoestimatepotentialimpactifithadbeencompleted.EstablishingclearrulesforpoliticalquarantineisanimportanttopreventtheperceivedorrealabuseofpoliticalpositionintheNorwegianpoliticalcontext.EstablishingclearrulesalsohasbeenthesubjectofinternationalpressurefromactorssuchastheEuropeanCouncil.2Areviewoftheexistinglegislation,andproposalsfornewlegislationisanappropriatefirststep.


MovingforwardTheproposedlegalamendmenthasbeenreceivedpositivelybycivilsocietyandnowshouldbeenactedintolaw.

1DiscussionssurroundingtheCommunicationsConsultancyfirm,FirstHouse,havebeenexemplary.“TakkerMedieneforSuksessen,”DagensNaeringsliv,http://bit.ly/1iRHesa.2NTP,“NyttKravOm‘FirstHouse-Register,’”NyheterOkonomi,21July2014,http://bit.ly/1YV2WMT.


20.CentreforIntegrityintheDefenceSectorAspartoftheMinistry’sstrongemphasisonintegrity,transparencyandaccountability,theMinistryofDefencehasestablishedtheCentreforIntegrityintheDefenceSectorinOslo.

Thecentrewillbeaknowledgeandcompetencecentreandwillfocusonthedevelopmentofgoodgovernancebybuildingintegrity,especiallyintermsofinstitutionbuildingandpreventiveanti-corruptionefforts.


ThecentrewilloperateasaresourcefortheNorwegiandefencesector,andwillalsoworkcloselywithouralliesinNATO,NATOpartnernations,andrelevantnationalandinternationalorganizations.Assuch,itwillbeanimportantNorwegiancontributiontofurtherprogressinthisvitalarea;buildingintegrity,increasingtransparencyandreducingtheriskofcorruption.

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Whathappened?OperateasaresourcefortheNorwegiandefencesector

TheCentrewasestablishedin2012beforethesecondactionplanwasfinalised.TheIRMresearchersunderstandseveraloftheCentre’sactivitiestoberelevanttothiscommitment,suchasthetrainingofmilitarypersonnelandthepublicationoftrainingguides.Thetargetedaudiencesfortheseactivitiesappeartobeprimarilyinternationalaudiences(oftenNATOforces).KMDreportsinthegovernment’sselfassessment,“TheCentrehasbeeninstrumentalinintroducinganti-corruptioneffortsasanintegralpartofNorway’sMilitaryOperationalDoctrineandhasintroducedmodulesonintegrityandanti-corruptionattheNorwegianJointStaffCollege.”AlthoughtheIRMresearcherswereunabletoconfirmanyspecificactionsfocusingontheNorwegiancontext,thereisnoreasontodoubtthattheCentreforIntegrityintheDefenceSectoralsooperatesasaresourceintheNorwegiandefencesector.

WorkcloselywithalliesinNATO,NATOpartnernations,andrelevantnationalandinternationalorganisations

TheCentrehasengagedinanumberofinternationalactivities,includingpublicationsongoodgovernanceinthedefencesector(inEnglish),twointernationalconferences,andtheimplementationofaNATOtrainingcourse.InterviewswiththecommitmentcontactindicatethattheCentrefeelsthishasbeenquitesuccessful.


Diditmatter?Thiscommitmentdoesnotprescribeanynewactivities,nordoesitappeartohavehadasignificantimpactonnationalintegrityinthedefencesector.CivilsocietyrepresentativessuggestthattheCentreshouldhaveagreaterfocusonnationalintegritysystemsandanti-corruptionsystems.Theyciteanumberofrecentscandalsinthedefencesectorandthedefencesector’sweaknessinrespondingtoFOIArequestsasevidencethatthereisasignificantnationaldemand.1

MovingforwardTheCentreshouldidentifyhowitcanworkcloselywithnationaldefenceactors,suchastheMinistryofDefence,toimproveintegrityandthequalityofaccountabilityinNorway.ObviousimportantpointsofentrywouldincludeprocurementrulesandmanagementofFOIArequests.TheCentreshouldconsultcivilsocietyontheseissuesandpublishanactionplantoconductnationalintegritywork.

1ToreBergsakerandKristofferEgeberg,“SkjultSalgavRIBVekketnyKorrupsjonsmistanke,”Dagbladet,22June2015,http://bit.ly/1RkSgC1;MarenOrstavik,“KreveratDepartementeneRedegjorforInnsynsbehandlinger,”Kultur,28June2015,http://bit.ly/1RKLnZo.


21.Modernisingpublicgovernance[…]Thepurposeofthisinitiativeistoclarifyobjectivesandpriorities,clarifyrolesandresponsibilities,reduceunnecessaryreporting,andpromotebetterleadershipandmoreefficientcentralgovernmentagencies,amongotherways,bymeansofbetterexploitationofICTandbybetterinteractionandcoordinationacrosssectorsandadministrativelevels.


TheGovernmentwillconsidervariousmeasurestopromoteamoreimplementation-orientedandresult-orientedadministration.Thesemeasureswillaimtostrengtheninteractionandcoordinationacrossagenciesandsectorsandacrossadministrativelevels.Thiswillhelpinensuringthatcentralgovernmentagenciesarebettermanaged,andthattheymakegreateruseofICTthantheydotoday.


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Government and Civil Society Responses

Whathappened?Considervariousmeasurestopromoteamoreimplementation-orientedandresult-orientedadministration

TheIRMresearcherswereunabletodeterminewhatwouldqualifyas“consideration,”“variousmeasures,”or“promote,”andwerethusunabletodetermineworkexecutedthiscommitment.

Ensurethatcentralgovernmentagenciesarebettermanaged,andthattheymakegreateruseofICTthantheydotoday

TheIRMresearcherswerenotabletodeterminewhetherthecentralgovernmentagencieswerebettermanagedormadegreateruseofICTasaresultofthiscommitment.

Diditmatter?Initsbroadformulation,bettermanagementandgreaterICTusebycentralgovernmentagencieswouldcertainlymatter,butIRMresearcherswereunabletodeterminewhatthiscommitmentactuallyimplied.

MovingforwardKMDinitiatedaProgrammeforBetterGovernanceandManagementoftheState(availableathttp://blogg.regjeringen.no/bedrestyringogledelse/),whichisscheduledtobe


implementedin2014-2017.KMDhasexpressedgreatoptimismaboutthepotentialforthisprogramme,whichdirectlyaddressesseveralcoreOGPvalues.Totheextentthatactivitiesfromthisprogrammearetobeincludedinfutureactionplans,theyshouldbemanifestinclear,measurable,andmeaningfulcommitments,whichstretchambitionbeyondwhathasbeenplannedorimplementedalready.


22.Transparencyinthemanagementofoilandgasrevenue[…]


Norwaywill,in2014-15,

• ContinuetoliveuptotheExtractiveIndustriesTransparencyInitiative(EITI)principlesandsupporttheEITIInternationalSecretariatanddevelopingcountries`EITIimplementation,throughbothbilateralandmultilateralprogrammes.

• StrengthentheOilforDevelopmentprogramme(OfD),thelargestdevelopmentprogrammeofitskindintheworld,providingsupportandguidancetomorethan20developingcountriesonmanagementofpetroleumresources.

• Promotethedevelopmentofa“transparencyguarantee”,securingnatural-resource-richpoorcountriesaccesstoextractivecompanyaccountinginformationnecessarytolevytherightamountoftax.

• Consideradoptingacountry-by-countryreportingsystemfortheextractivesector.

• Worktostrengthenfinancialsectortransparencygenerally,forinstancebyworkingagainsttypicaltaxhavenpracticesofconcealingbeneficialownershipandfinancialtransactioninformationandbysupportingtaxinformationexchange.


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Whathappened?Continuetoliveupto(EITI)principlesandsupporttheEITISecretariatandimplementation

NorwayisamemberoftheEITIandhashostedtheEITIInternationalSecretariatintheNorwegianDirectorateforInternationalAidsince2007.TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoidentifyspecificactivitiesrelatedtothisgoaloutsidethescopeofNorway’son-goingactivities.ItisnotcleartotheIRMresearcherswhatthiscommitmentwasintendedtoachieve,asidefromhighlightingNorway’sinvolvementintheEITI.


StrengthentheOilforDevelopment

OilforDevelopmentisanaidprogrammeinitiatedbytheNorwegianGovernmentin2005.ItintendedtosharetheNorwegianGovernment’sexperiencesmanagingoilresourceswithoil-producingdevelopingcountries.Norwaysupportsdevelopingcountriesunderthisprogrammethroughgrantsandinstitutionalcooperation.TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoidentifyspecificactivitiesrelatedtothisgoaloutsidethescopeofNorway’son-goingactivities.

Promotethedevelopmentofa“transparencyguarantee”

TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoidentifyspecificactivitiesrelatedtothisgoal.

Consideradoptingacountry-by-countryreportingsystemfortheextractivesector

Acountry-by-countryreportingsystemwasfullyimplementedon1January2014.ThissystemrequiresNorwegianregisteredcompaniestoreportprofits,expenses,taxandemployeesforeachcountryinwhichtheyoperate,inananti-corruptionefforttotrackmoneyhiddenintaxsheltersaroundtheworld.Additionalinformationisavailablebelowinthisreport’ssectiononcommitment24,whichisfocusedspecificallyonthecountry-by-countryreportingsystem.

Worktostrengthenfinancialsectortransparencygenerally,forinstancebyworkingagainsttypicaltaxhavenpractices

Norwayisgenerallyastrongadvocateforfinancialsectortransparency,andthereareafewactivitiesthatreasonablycouldfallunderthiscommitment.Oneworthnotingistheparliamentarymotion,initiatedin2012,torequirecompaniestodiscloseinformationonbeneficialownership.Beneficialownershipiswhenindividualsbenefitfromownershipofcompanies,butarenotlistedasowners,forexample,duetocomplexcorporateownershipstructures.TheIRMresearcherswerenotabletoidentifyspecificactivitiesundertakentowardsthismilestonewithintheactionplanimplementationperiod.

Diditmatter?Together,theseindividualbenchmarksprovideasurveyoftheworkNorwayisdoingalreadyonoilandgastransparency,independentoftheOGP.Whilethisworkisimportant,itdoesnotseemthatitsinclusionintheOGPprocessmattered.NoneofthesecommitmentsdirectlyaddresstransparencyoftheNorwegianoilandgassectorworkingwithinNorway,andonlytwoofthefivebenchmarksaddressNorwegiancorporateactivitiesabroad.Assuch,thesebenchmarksdonotappeartohaveasignificantpotentialforimpactinNorwegianopengovernment.(Forfurtherinformationoncountry-by-countryreporting,seecommitment24.)

MovingforwardThecommitmentasitiscurrentlyformulatedisnotspecificenoughtobeassessed.FurtherOGPcommitmentsinthisareashouldmovebeyondworkthatNorwayisdoingalready.Moreover,futurecommitmentsshouldbedividedaccordingtoseparateactivitiesandshouldfocusonnational,ratherthaninternational,transparencyandaccountability.


23.TransparencyinthemanagementoftheGovernmentPensionFund(GPF)TransparencyisalsoacentralprincipleinthemanagementoftheGovernmentPensionFund(GPF).TheGPFcomprisestheGovernmentPensionFundGlobal(GPFG)andtheGovernmentPensionFundNorway(GPFN)whicharebothinstrumentsforgeneralsavingsonthepartoftheState.TheMinistryofFinancehastheoverallresponsibilityforthemanagementofthetwofundsandsubmitsawhitepaperonthiseveryyear.[…]

NorgesBankreportsquarterlyandannuallyonthemanagementoftheFund[…]

ParliamenthasappointedtheSupervisoryCouncilofNorgesBank.TheSupervisoryCouncilsupervisestheBank’soperationsandensuresthattheBankiscompliantwiththerulesgoverningtheBank’sactivities,includingthemanagementoftheGPFG.[…]

CompaniesshallbeexcludedfromtheinvestmentuniverseoftheFund,pursuanttotheguidelinesfortheFund,iftheyareinvolvedinproductionorundertakingsthatimplyanunacceptablyhighriskthatthecompanycontributestogrosslyunethicalactivities.TheexclusionmechanismishandledbytheMinistryofFinanceafterreceivingrecommendationsfromaseparatebody,theCouncilonEthics.InformationontheworkoftheCouncilismadepublic,asaretheCouncil’srecommendationstotheMinistryofFinancewhichispublishedwhentheMinistryofFinancehasreachedadecision[…]


NorgesBankhasrecentlydecidedtomakevotingresultspubliclyavailableonitswebsiteonebusinessdayaftertheconclusionofthegeneralmeeting.

Editorialnote:Thetextofthecommitmentwasabridgedforformattingreasons.Forthefulltextofthecommitment,pleaseseehttp://bit.ly/1QlVIja.

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Whathappened?TheIRMresearchershavereadthiscommitmentasintending“tomakevotingresultspubliclyavailableonitswebsiteonebusinessdayaftertheconclusionofthegeneralmeeting.”AccordingtothesubmissionbyNorgesBanktotheNorwegianself-assessmentreport,NorgesBanknowmakesthevotingresultsfromtheirgeneralassembliesavailableontheirwebsitethroughthesearchfunctionalityonedayaftertheconclusionofeachgeneralassembly.Afterconductinginterviewsanddeskresearchwithsignificanteffort,theIRMresearcherswereabletofindthisinformationonline(seehttp://www.nbim.no/en/the-fund/holdings/).Votinginformationisdisplayedthrougha


searchfunctionforeachcompanyinwhichthebankisinvested.Informationisselectedbycategoryofinvestment,thenbycountry,thenbycompany.TheIRMresearcherschecked15companiesatrandom,andfoundvotingdatalistedforonlytwoofthem.ItisnotclearfromdiscussionswiththeBankwhetherthedataexistsandiswaitingtobeintegratedorthedatadoesnotexist.Thisisdifficulttodeterminebecausedataisonlyavailablethroughindividualsearches.

Noneoftherecordscontaineddetailedinformationabouttheissuesvotedon(a“yes”or“no”entryisrecordedwiththeitem“ApproveDividendPolicy,”butnoinformationonthedividendpolicyisprovided),andthedataisnotavailableinbulkformattoallowforeasyaccess,use,orcomparison.Nevertheless,giventhewordingofthiscommitment,theIRMresearchersconsiderthiscommitmentcomplete.

TheNorgesBankcontactpersonforthiscommitmentindicatesthatthecontentofthiscommitmentwasapprovedbeforethedraftingofthesecondnationalactionplan,andtheBankprioritisedit.

Diditmatter?Publishingofvotingrecordsisapositivemovetowardsgreatertransparencyforanygovernmentinstitution.However,itisnotclearthatthisparticularinstanceprovidesanyadditionalusefulinformationaboutexclusionsfromgovernmentpensionfundsbecausetherecommendationsfromtheNorwegianEthicalCouncilandFinanceDepartment,onwhichNorgesBank’sdivestmentdecisionsarebased,arealreadypublic.

Theformatoftheinformationreleasealsoisproblematicbecauseitisverydifficulttofindandaccess.Moreover,itlikelydoesnotprovideenoughinformationtobeusefulforaccountabilityandtransparencyefforts.

MovingforwardTheIRMresearchersassumethatthiscommitmenthasbeencompleted,ascommunicatedbyNorgesBank.Futureactionplansshouldexplorehowamoremeaningfulcommitmenttotransparencyinthisareacouldbeformulatedtoprovideuserswitheasyaccesstovotinginformation,bulkaccesstovotinginformation,andcontextualinformationtomakesenseofvotinginformation.


24.Transparencyandanti-corruptionefforts[…]TransparencyisalsoakeydimensionoftheNorwegianrecentlyadoptedActionPlanAgainstEconomicCrime(March2011).Theactionplandiscussesmeasuressuchascountry-by-countryreporting(CBCR).CBCRisadifferentconceptfromregularfinancialreportingasitpresentsfinancialinformationforeverycountrythatacompanyoperatesin,ratherthanasinglesetofinformationatagloballevel.Reporting,forexample,taxes,royaltiesandbonusesthatamultinationalcompanypaystoahostgovernmentislikelytoshowacompany’sfinancialimpactinhostcountries.Suchatransparentapproachwillalsoencouragemoresustainablebusinesses.

InOctober2011theEuropeanCommissionproposedtointroduceanEUsystemofCBCR,toincreasetransparencyregardingpaymentstogovernmentsmadebylargecompaniesandcompanieslistedintheEUthatareactiveintheextractiveandloggingindustries.TheproposalwasadoptedbytheCouncilandtheEuropeanParliamentinJune2013.

NorwaygenerallysupportstheEU-provisionsonCBCR.ThelegislationisinlinewiththeGovernment’sworkrelatedtoincreasedtransparencyininternationalpaymentflows.ThelegislationisalsoinlinewiththeGovernment’seffortstoenterintoinformationagreementswithso-called“taxhavens”forthepurposeoffightingtaxevasion.[…]

TheNorwegianGovernmentappointedaworkinggroupinDecember2012tolookatnationalregulationofCBCR.TheMinistryreceivedtheworkinggroupreportatthebeginningofMay,andaimstointroducesuchrequirementsfrom2014.


TheMinistryofFinancehasinOctober2013proceededabillonCBCRtotheParliament.


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Whathappened?Thecommitment,aswrittenseemstosuggestthattherelevantactivityistheproposalofabill.Thiswasdonebeforetheactionplanwasdraftedandbeforetheimplementationperiodbegan.Acountry-by-countryreportingsystemwasfullyimplemented1January2014.ThissystemrequiresNorwegianregisteredcompaniestoreportprofits,expenses,taxes,andemployeesforeachcountryinwhichtheyoperate.Itisinananti-corruptionefforttotrackmoneyhiddenintaxsheltersaroundtheworld.Thefirstcountry-by-country(CBC)reportsweretobepublishedinthefirsthalfof2015,buttheIRMresearchershavenotbeenableto


confirmifthishashappened.Therecurrentlyarenomonitoringproceduresorsanctionsinplace.

Diditmatter?ThepassageoftheCBCregulationswillincreaseprivatesectortransparencybymandatingdisclosureofinformationsuchasregistrationofcompanysubsidiaries,includingintaxhavens.However,itisworthnoting,thatsomesectorsandtaxhavensareexemptfromreporting.Becauseofloopholesandthelackofmonitoryandsanctions,theIRMresearchersgavethecommitmentlowpotentialimpact.ThislawwasapprovedonthebasisofpressureandaproposalfromNorwegiancivilsociety.Followingthesubmissionofaproposalbycivilsociety,thelawwasapprovedwithsomeamendments,butcivilsocietyappearstobegenerallysatisfiedwithit.Whatremainstobeseenishowthelawwillbeimplemented.Thelawneverthelessrepresentsanimportantsteptowardsfightinginternationalcorruption.Itisscheduledforreviewinthreeyears’time.

MovingforwardNorwayshouldconsiderreviewingthelaw,includingexemptions,soonerthanthescheduledreview,andpotentiallyafteroneyear.Norwegiancivilsocietyalsoshouldbeengagedtoparticipateinthedraftingofmonitoringprocedures,andcivilsocietyinputshouldbesoughtonestablishingsanctions.


25.Themunicipalsector[…]TheNorwegianAssociationofLocalandRegionalAuthorities(KS)istheinterestorganizationandemployers’associationofthemunicipalsector.AllmunicipalitiesandcountyauthoritiesaremembersofKS.


• KSwillfurtherdeveloptheBoardAppointmentsRegister(Styrevervregisteret)inordertomakeitmoreaccessibleandeasiertouseandtoensuregreaterregistrationoftheinterestsandboardappointmentsofelectedrepresentativesandmunicipalmanagers.

• KSwillmakeeffortstofurtherdevelopKOSTRA(Municipality-StateReporting)toprovidebettermanagementinformation,amongotherways,byfurtherdevelopingqualityindicatorsandbyidentifyingandremovingdatanotusedactivelyasmanagementinformation.

• KSwillworktoachieveopenandaccessibleinformationconcerningschoolobjectives,strategies,plansandresultsatalllevelsoftheorganization.Transparencyisthebestdrivingforceforimprovementandqualitydevelopment.Themunicipalsectormustthereforehaveaccesstoallrelevantdatafordevelopmentofhighqualityservices.

• KSwillfurtherexaminedualroleissuesinconnectionwiththerevisionofKS’srecommendationsconcerningsoundmunicipalownership,tentativelyinautumn2013.


Commitment Overview


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Whathappened?FurtherdeveloptheBoardAppointmentsRegister(Styrevervregisteret)

TheNorwegianAssociationofLocalandRegionalAuthorities(KS)reportsthatthemilestoneregardingtheBoardAppointmentsRegisterhasbeencompleted.ThenewBoardAppointmentsRegisterprovidesanoverviewofboardappointmentsandotherimportantrolesandinterestsforabout39,000electedleadersandemployees.Ithasimportantinfluencesinabout350ofthe450Norwegianmunicipalities.Ninety-fourmunicipalcompaniesandparastatalorganisationsalsojoinedtheregister.


MakeeffortstofurtherdevelopKOSTRA(Municipality-StateReporting)toprovidebettermanagementinformation

KOSTRAisanationaldatabasethataggregatesalldatareportedbymunicipalitiestothenationalgovernment,andsetsdatastandardsforwhichindicatorsaretobereported.Thiscommitmentreferstoeffortstodeveloptheindicatorsaroundschoolingdatathatmunicipalitiesarerequiredtoreport.KSreportsthatmilestonesregardingKOSTRAandschoolingdataareinprogress,butthatithasbeenchallengingtodevelopqualityindicatorsforKOSTRA.IthasbeenchallengingpartlyduetocommunicationbetweenKSandgovernmentagencies.Nevertheless,indicatorsforeducationalqualityaretobestandardisedamongmunicipalitiesin2016.

Worktoachieveopenandaccessibleinformationconcerningschoolobjectives,strategies,plans,andresultsatalllevelsoftheorganisation

KSreportsthattheyrepeatedlyhavecommunicatedthemunicipalsector’sneedforqualitydatatotheDirectorateofEducation.ButKSnotesthatasanon-governmentalorganisation,theydonothaveaccesstomunicipaldata.AninterviewwiththeKScontactpersonforthiscommitmentindicatesthatnoprogresshasbeenmadeonthisbenchmark.

FurtherexaminedualroleissuesinconnectionwiththerevisionofKS’srecommendationsconcerningsoundmunicipalownership

KSreportsthatworkonthismilestonehasnotstarteddueto“practicalreasons.”IRMresearcherswerenotabletoidentifythenatureoftheactivityorchallenge,andtheywerenotabletodeterminethepracticalreasonsfornotbeginningwork.

Diditmatter?TheIRMresearcherspresumethatthiscommitmenttargetsmunicipalgovernmentintegrity.Therehavebeenseveralcorruptioncasesatthemunicipallevelinthelast10yearsandapublicdebateaboutwhethermunicipalgovernmentshavesufficientcontrolsforpreventingcorruption.1Itisnotentirelyclearthattheabovebenchmarksarethemostimpactfulmechanismstoaddresstheseissues.TheyseeminanycasetobeinhibitedsignificantlybyKS’sstandingasanon-governmentalbody.

MovingforwardTheNorwegiangovernmentshouldconsiderworkingwithCSOstoassessthequalityofintegrityandanti-corruptioncontrolsatthemunicipallevel.Theyshouldensurethattheaboveactionsarethemostimportantmechanismstopursuethisobjective.Ifthesebenchmarksorrelatedcommitmentsareincludedinfutureactionplans,agovernmentagencyshouldbedesignatedtheresponsibleparty.

1“KorrupsjonIKommunene?,”TransparencyInternationalNorge,16August2013,http://bit.ly/1L91IYc;“KorrpsionsfarenStorstISmaKommuner,”NRK,16March2014,http://bit.ly/1L20cms.


V.Process:Self-assessmentAtthetimeofwritingthisreport,theNorwegiangovernmenthadcirculatedadraftself-assessmentreporttoalistofstakeholders.Itisunclearifthedraftandits13attachmentswillbeconsolidatedintoasingledocumentandofficiallypublished.

Table2:Self-assessmentchecklist

Wastheannualprogressreportpublished? No

SummaryofadditionalinformationKMDreleaseditsdraftself-assessmentreporton31March2015.Theself-assessmentreport,whichwasaccompaniedby13PDFattachmentstoanemail,wassentto87representativesofcivilsocietyandgovernment.Itsbodycontainedthreewords(“seeattacheddocuments”).ItisnotcleartotheIRMresearchershowtheseemailaddresseswereselectedorwhethertheself-assessmentreportwaspublishedpublicly.Theemailannouncingtheself-assessmentreportdidnotprovideanyexplanationabouthowtheself-assessmentreportwasrelatedtothelargerOGPprocess.Theemailalsodidnotincludeanyindicationwhycivilsocietymightcaretoreviewit,atimelineforreview,oranyinstructionsonhowtonavigatethe13PDFattachments.Toourknowledge,KMDreceivednofeedbackonitsself-assessmentreport,whichwassenttotheOGPsecretariaton27April2015.

Follow-uponpreviousIRMrecommendationsConsultations:

ThepreviousIRMreportplacedaparticularemphasisonrecommendingchangestotheconsultationprocess,aslackofcivilsocietyawarenessandengagementseemstobeanimportantweakspotfortheOGPinNorway.Inparticular,thereportrecommended:

• Cleartimelinesforconsultationswithsufficientnotice,

• AlignmentoftimelinesfordevelopingactionplansandincorporatinginputfromIRMreports,

• Developingactionplansafterconsultingwithcivilsociety,and

• Publiclysharingdraftactionplans,informationontheconsultationprocessandlistofconsultedorganisations,perrecommendationsintheOGPguidelines.

AlthoughKMDsignificantlyincreasedthenumberofCSOsonitsmailinglist,itdoesnotseemtohaveengagedmeaningfullywiththeaboverecommendations.ConsultationswereheldagainwithdeadlinesduringNorwegiansummerholiday,andcivilsocietyrepresentativesagaincomplainedabouttoolittletimetoprovidefeedback.Informationondraftplansandconsultationprocessesarenotpubliclyavailableonthegovernment'swebpageforOGP.1

TheNorwegianGovernmentneedstodoabetterjobofengagingcivilsocietyinOGPprocesses.IthasnotmanagedtomakeacompellingcaseforwhyOGPisrelevanttocivilsociety.Inacountrywheregovernanceisstrong,transparencyisanacceptednorm,andrelationshipsbetweencivilsocietyandgovernmentaregenerallygood,thismaywellbeaprerequisitefortheNorwegianGovernmenttoimplementtheOGPmeaningfully.ForthemajorityofCSOsinNorwaythatarenotfamiliarwithOGPandhavetoomuchtodo,


packagingOGPcommunicationsindenseoremptyemailswithnumerousattachmentsandwithoutclearrelevancemeansthatthesecommunicationsarenotread.

Atthetimeofwritingthisreport,onlyaverysmallnumberofCSOsarefamiliarwithOGP.CSOsfamiliarwithOGPalsohappentobereceivingfinancialsupportfromtheNorwegianGovernmenttoparticipateintheOGPCouncil.AlthoughNorwayenjoysastrongtraditionforcollaborationbetweencivilsocietyandgovernment,includinggovernmentfundingofindependentCSOs,theIRMresearchershaveconcernsaboutthisarrangement.ItistroublingthatCSOsnotreceivingsupportarenotengagedorinterestedinparticipatinginOGPprocesses.ItalsoistroublingthattheNorwegianGovernmentmaybe,ineffect,outsourcingsomeofitsresponsibilitiesfordesigninganddrivingOGPprocesses.Financialsupportalsohasthepotentialtodistortincentivesfordesigningandimplementingopengovernmentactionplans.

Ownership:

NorwayhasidentifiedaresponsibleagencyandfocalpointfortheOGP,inkeepingwithpreviousrecommendations,butquestionsremainaboutOGPownership.Interviewsandself-assessmentmaterialssuggestthatthedegreeofownershipvariesdramaticallybetweendifferentagenciesandcontactstaskedwithdraftingandimplementingcommitments.ManyagenciesandcontactsseemstilltoregardOGPasanexternalphenomenonthathappenstooverlapsubstantivelywiththeworkthattheyalreadyaredoing.Inthatsense,OGPimpliesextrareporting,butlittleelse.Asinthepreviousreview,greatersupportandcoordinationwiththePrimeMinister'sofficeandotheragencieslikelywouldhelp,butitseemsasthoughhigh-levelpoliticalsupportalsomaybenecessarytomakeOGPameaningfulandrelevantphenomenonforNorway.

Ambitiouscommitments:

ThepreviousIRMreportrecommendedthatNorway“strivetoselectOGP-relatedtopicsthatareregardedbroadlyaschallengingintheNorwegiancontext.”Someofthecommitmentsinthesecondactionplandothisbytargetingareassuchasaccesstoinformationinmunicipalanddefencesectors,anti-corruptionefforts,internationalcorporateactivities,andmunicipalgovernance.However,thesecommitmentsgenerallyarenotambitious.Theyreferlargelytovagueeffortsto“review”or“consider”regulatoryframeworksandtoactivitieswhichalreadyareunderwayandwhicharepoliticallynon-contentious.

ThepreviousreportalsorecommendedthatNorwayreducethenumberofcommitmentstofacilitategreaterengagementandownership.Thesecondactionplanincreasedthenumberofcommitmentsfrom20to26(althoughthefinalcommitment,addedlate,wasnotincludedinthenationalactionplanandisnotreadilyavailableorconsideredinthisreport).


VI.Countrycontext

Norwayisacountrywithastrongtraditionforopennessandtransparency,principlesthatareprotectedactivelybycivilsociety.Thisiswellillustratedbyrecentpoliticaleventssurroundingthecountry’sfreedomofinformationlaw.Parliamentaryeffortstomakefasttrackchangestothelaw,whichwouldhaveallowedcitycouncilstokeeppreparatorydocumentsasecret,provokedstrongreactionsamongthepressandcivilsociety.Theyappeartohaveledtotheblockingofthechangesinparliament.2

TherapidandeffectiveresponseofabroadcrosssectionofNorwegiancivilsocietyinthisinstancedemonstratesthatcivilsocietyengagementthatispossiblewhenissuesandinstancesobviouslyarerelevant.ButithighlightsthefailureoftheNorwegianGovernmenttoengageeffectivelywithcivilsocietyontheOGP.SomeofthemostactiverespondentstotheparliamentaryproposalforlimitingthescopeofFOIArequests,suchasthecivilombudsmanandthenationalpressassociation,wereengagedinthefirstindependentreviewofNorway'sOGPcommitments.Presumably,theywereinvitedtoKMD'sconsultationsforthesecondnationalactionplan.Theirlackofparticipationintheconsultationprocessshouldnotbeconfusedwithalackofengagementontheirpart,butshouldpromptquestionsaboutwhethertheNorwegianGovernmenthasmadesufficienteffortstodemonstratetherelevanceoftheOGPprocessandtoaccommodatecivilsocietycontributions.

Thisdynamicispresentinseveralotheraspectsofthesecondactionplan.AccesstoinformationandfreedomofinformationrequestsaretopprioritiesforcivilsocietyinNorway.Groupsconsultedforthepreparationofthisreportconsistentlycitedchallengesintheseareas.Theybelievethechallengesarecriticalforsecuringtransparencyandaccountability.WhileseveralofthecommitmentsinthesecondnationalactionplanrelatetoaccesstoinformationandFOIAlegislation,thesecommitmentstendnottoaddressthetypesofinformationormechanismsthatcivilsocietyandcitizensdemand.Instead,theyemphasisemechanismsandtypesofinformationthatgovernmentagenciesprioritise.ThissuggestsafundamentalmisalignmentbetweensupplyanddemandforinformationintheNorwegianaccountabilitycontext.Presumably,themisalignmentmaybemitigatedbymeaningfulconsultationswithcivilsociety.

AsdiscussedinSectionV,theNorwegianGovernment’seffortstoengagecivilsocietyintheOGPprocessarenotasproactiveorproductiveastheycouldhavebeen.FailuretoarticulatetherelevanceofOGP,tofacilitateaccesstoOGPinformation,ortoengageadiversesegmentofcivilsocietylikelyhaveresultedinthegenerallylacklustrequalityofcivilsocietyengagement.

StakeholderprioritiesTheIRMwasunabletoreconveneabroadselectionofcivilsocietyrepresentativesduetolackofengagementintheOGPprocess.InterviewsanddiscussionsconductedwiththeIRMresearcherinthepreparationofthisreportsuggestsomepriorityissuesforcivilsociety,includingstrengtheningofgovernmentcapacitiestomanageFOIArequests,anti-corruptioncontrolsatthemunicipallevel,andwhistle-blowerprotection.Theseissuesareaddressedlargelybythesecondactionplan,butnotthroughmeasuresorwithfocusthatstakeholdersfoundmeaningful.

ItisalsoworthnotingthattheseissuestendtoalignwiththemandateofthefeworganisationsthathavefollowedtheOGPprocess.Althoughaddressingthepriorityissues


ofthethreetofivevocalCSOsisimportantintheOGPprocess,itisequallyimportanttoidentifyandtorespondtotheprioritiesofthefullspectrumofCSOsandcitizens.Inacountrywheregovernanceisstrongandtherelationshipbetweencivilsocietyandgovernmentishighlyfunctional,thegovernmentshouldframetheOGPasaneffortthatisrelevanttocivilsociety.Itshouldbereflectedincommunicationsandconsultations.TheIRMresearcherswereunabletoconveneabroadsectorofcivilsocietyduetolackofawarenessandengagement.Theydidnotfinditwithintheirmandatetoconductextensiveawareness-raisingactivities.Forthisreason,itshouldbenotedthattheremaybeseveralothercivilsocietyperspectivesandprioritiesthatarenotrecordedinthisreport.

ScopeofactionplaninrelationtonationalcontextTheissueareascoveredbyNorway'ssecondnationalactionplanarelargelyconsistentwiththeOGPDeclarationofPrinciplesandArticlesofGovernance.However,thecommitmentsfailtoaddressmeaningfulareasofimprovement.Forexample,whiletherighttoinformationisclearlyapillarofopengovernmentandfallssquarelywithinopengovernment,thecommitmenttoevaluatethatlawandconsideramendmentsisnotambitious.

AccordingtoseveralrepresentativesoftheNorwegiancivilsociety,thefreedomofinformationlawisa“gamechanger”forNorwegianopennessandtransparency.However,muchworkneedstobedonetomakethepublicawareofthelaw,toimprovegovernmentresponsiveness,andtomakethelaweasiertoimplement.TheseissueshavebeenraisedinconsultationsandintheNorwegianmedia.Acommitmenttoreviewthelawgenerallyaddressesnoneoftheseissues,butratherdescribesactivitiesthatlikelyalreadywereplanned.Moreover,theactivitiescannotbeexpectedtoimprovethequalityofNorwegianopennesssignificantly.

Thisdynamicoftopicalrelevanceundercutbyvagueandmodestcommitmentsisrepresentativeofthemajorityofcommitmentsinthesecondnationalactionplan.

Commitmentsintheactionplantendtodescribeon-goingpoliticalprocessesthatappeartoberelatedonlysubstantivelytotheOGP.Accordingtofocalpoints,suchcommitmentswouldhavebeendeterminedandimplementedinpreciselythesamemannerwithoutOGP.

WhileitisnottheIRMresearchers’intentiontopenaliseNorwayfordoinggoodworkonopengovernmentandtransparencyoutsideoftheOGPinitiative,theOGPinitiativeshouldnotbeusedasabox-checkingexercisetocataloguerelevantinitiativesthatareunrelatedtotheOGPprocess.Suchanapproachalsorepresentsasignificantopportunitycost,asinterviewsconductedforthisreportsuggestthatbetterintegrationofOGPwithrelevantinitiativescouldhaveabeneficialconsequenceforboth.

Thiswouldrequireinvolvingrelevantagenciesandfocalpointsmoreextensivelythansimplyreportingonon-goingactivities.ItwouldrequireaskingthemeithertorethinkandtorestructureactivitieswithintheOGPcontext,ortodevelopOGPcommitmentsthatbuildonandaddtotheiron-goingactivities.Thisisamoredemandingapproachthansimplycataloguingactivities,butitlikelywouldhavemoremeaningfulresults,bothforOGPactionplansandforothertransparencyandopennessworkintheNorwegianpublicsector.Theadditionaleffortandresourcesinvolvedalsolikelywouldimplyprioritisationofareas,fewercommitments,andmorefocusinfutureactionplans.

1“OpenGovernmentPartnership,”GovernmentofNorway,6December2014,http://bit.ly/1FN7dvk.2“StortingsforslagOmMindreApenhetMoterKraftigMotstand,”IAllOffentlighet,http://bit.ly/1Od0RZ9.


VII.GeneralrecommendationsThissectionrecommendsgeneralnextstepsforOGPingeneral,ratherthanforspecificcommitments.

Crosscuttingrecommendations1. Improvethequalityofactionplancommitments.Thevaguenessandmodestyof

Norwegiancommitmentsinthefirstandsecondnationalactionplanshavehinderedengagement,review,andimplementation.Commitmentswithoutclearactivitiesoroutcomes,orcommitmentsthatdescribeon-goingornon-contentiousactivities,providenoaddedvaluetothequalityofopennessinNorway.TheyprovidenoreasonforNorwegiancivilsocietytoengagewiththeOGPprocess.Generally,thequalityofactionplancommitmentslikelywillimprovebyincludingfewercommitments.Additionally,individualcommitmentsshouldbecraftedtoadheretothefollowingrulesofthumb:

A. CommitmentsinOGPnationalactionplansshouldbespecificandmeasurable.Commitmentsshouldbeformulatedwithspecificactivitiestobeexecutedbyspecificactors.Thiswouldmakeitpossibletodeterminewhethersuchactivitieshavebeencompleted.Commitmentsshouldincludespecifictimelinesandmeasurablebenchmarks.

B. Commitmentsshouldbeambitious.Governmentagenciesinademocraticsocietyregularlyactinwaysthatcanbeconsideredtocontributetoopengovernmentthroughtheirbasicoperationandinteractionwithcitizens.Whilelaudable,suchactivitiesonlyshouldbeconsideredOGPcommitmentswhentheysignificantlycontributetomakinggovernmentmoreopen,accountable,andresponsivetocitizens.

Superficialadjustmentstowell-establishedgovernancemechanismsdonotmeetthiscriterion.On-goingpoliticalprocessesforwhichthereisnopoliticalorpracticaloppositionalsodonotmeetthiscriterion.IncludingtheminactionplansrepresentsadescriptionofNorwegianpoliticalprocesses,notambitiouscommitmentstostrengthenopengovernment.

C. Commitmentsshouldaddresspriorityareas.Someissueareas,suchassimplifyingthegrantreportingrequirementsforNGOs,1arelaudable,butdonotclearlydeservetheattentionandprioritisationthenationalactionplanshouldconvey.Asacountrywithastrongrecordfordemocraticgovernanceandastrongcivilsociety,NorwayshouldbasecommitmentsonissuesthatareprioritisedinthecriticalmediaandbynationalCSOs.OGPcommitmentsshouldnotbeidentifiedanddevelopedonthebasisofrelevantactivitiesthatarealreadyunderway.

2. Worktomakenationalactionplansrelevanttobothcivilsocietyandresponsibleagencies.ThisreporthasnotedNorwegiancivilsociety'slackofengagementintheOGPmechanism.Thisisnotbecausealackofengagementonissuesofnationalopennessorgovernmentresponsiveness,butlikelybecausetherelevanceofOGPtonationalopennessandresponsivenessisnotclear(seeabovediscussiononcountrycontext).Similarly,manyofthegovernmentofficialsinterviewedforthisreportbytheIRMresearchersindicatedthattheywerenotfamiliarwithOGP.Thosethatwere,oftendescribedtheiractivitiesasonlylooselyrelatedandcitedimprecise


potentialbenefitsofassociationwiththeOGP,suchasthepotentialtoaccessgreaterpoliticalsupportorbudgetallocations.

A. RaiseawarenessabouttheOGPinnationalmedia.TheNorwegiannationalpressregularlycoversOGP-relatedissuesthroughop-eds,debates,andinvestigativejournalism.Effortshouldbemadebythegovernmentand/ortheOGPCounciltofacilitatemediacoveragetohighlighttheOGP'srelevance.

B. Seekhigh-levelpoliticalsupportfortheOGP.Norwayfailedtodemonstratehigh-levelpoliticalsupportfortheOGP,mostnotablybynotattendingtheHighLevelSummitin2014.PoliticalandcoordinationsupportfromthePrimeMinister’sofficelikelywouldhaveaverypositiveeffectinfacilitatingengagementandcoordinationbetweenagenciesresponsibleforindividualcommitments.Politicalsupportattheministeriallevelinresponsibleagencies,orafewkeyagencies,likelyalsowouldgreatlyimproveawareness,ownership,andcoordinationamongfocalpointsforOGPcommitments.

C. TailortheOGPtoaddressissuesthatNorwegiancivilsocietyandgovernmentagenciesarealreadyworkingon.Notingtheimportanceofambitiouscommitmentsandnotreframingexistingworkascommitments,itcanneverthelessbeimportanttoidentifytheissueareasandinstitutionalmandatesthatarealreadybeingprioritisedbycivilsocietyandgovernmentagencies.ThisrequiresNorwaytobalancethoughtfullybetweenidentifyingambitiousstepstobetakeninnovelareas,andfocusingonareasandprioritiesalreadyidentifiedbycivilsociety.Norwayalsoshouldimprovethequalityofcommitments,aswellasthequalityofengagementandownership.

3. Improvetheaccessibilityanddepthofconsultations.OGPconsultationsforthesecondnationalactionplanhavenotbeenwellattendedbycivilsociety,althoughgovernmentagencyrepresentationincreased.

A. Improvehowconsultationsarepresented.Ifemailcontinuestobetheprimarymechanismtoinviteparticipantstoconsultations,NorwayshouldmakeanefforttostateclearlythepurposeoftheconsultationsandhowOGPisrelevanttocivilsociety'swork.Effortshouldbemadenottocreateobstaclestocivilsocietyengagementthroughformattingorrhetoric.Thisprincipleshouldalsobeappliedtoonlineandotherinformation.

B. Makeconsultationinformationeasytofind.Inaddition,tomakinginformationeasytofindinactualemails,muchcouldbedonetospreadinformationaboutconsultationswherecivilsocietyislikelytoseeit.Existingprintandonlineinformationsources,suchasBistandsAktuelt,Global.noandtheFORUMnewslettercanbeimportantchannelsforensuringthatcivilsocietyrepresentativesseeconsultationinformation.

C. Keepclearrecordsonconsultationsandprovidefeedbackonhowinputduringconsultationswasorwasnotincorporatedintoplanningandimplementation.Severalcivilsocietyrepresentativesexpresseddissatisfactionwithconsultationprocesses.AlthoughtheproposalssubmittedviaemailwerepublishedontheKMDwebsite,itwouldbeusefultorecordproposalsmadeinlivemeetings.Italsowouldbeusefultoprovideanexplanationforwhysomeproposalswereincludedinthenationalactionplanandsomewerenot.This


mighthelptoconstructafeelingofmoremeaningfulconsultationandtofacilitategreatercivilsocietyengagementinOGPprocesses.

D. Ensurethatconsultationmeetingsanddeadlinesdonotdiscourageparticipation.Aswiththefirstnationalactionplan,consultationsin2013coincidedwithnationalsummerholidays,inhibitingcivilsocietyparticipation.Stepsshouldbetakentoavoidthis.

TopSMARTrecommendationsTOPFIVE‘SMART’RECOMMENDATIONS

1.Priortoconsultations,establishapublic-facingwebpresenceforOGPthatisdesignedtofacilitateinteraction.OGP-relatedinformationshouldbeorganisedaccordingtotheinterestsandmandatesofNorwegiancivilsociety.PromotethiswebpresenceinforumsandonwebsiteswhereNorwegiancivilsocietyalreadyisactive,suchashttp://www.bistandsaktuelt.no/.Usethiswebpresencetotrackproposalsandinputstoconsultations,regardlessoftheformatinwhichtheyaresubmitted.Italsocanbeusedtoprovidefeedbackonhowandwhyindividualproposalsareincorporatedintotheactionplan,orreasonstheyarenot.

2.DevelopandconsultonthethirdnationalactionplanaccordingtoatimelinethatisdevelopedinpartnershipwiththeOGPCouncil.

3.Priortodevelopingthenextnationalactionplan,seekhigh-levelpoliticalsupportfortheOGPattheministeriallevelforkeygovernmentagencies.DevelopacommunicationsstrategyincollaborationwiththeOGPCouncilforpromotingtheOGPinnationalmediatoraiseawarenessandtofacilitatecivilsocietyengagementaheadofconsultations.

4.Strengthengovernmentagencies’institutionalownershipofOGPcommitmentsbyestablishingaregularmulti-agencyprocessforsharingandmonitoringofcommitmentsbeforethenextimplementationcycle.

5.Includemoreambitiousandmeasurablecommitmentsinthenextnationalactionplan.EnsurethatthosecommitmentsmeettheSMARTcriteria.ThesecommitmentsshouldbebasedonissuesthatareprioritisedinthecriticalmediaandbynationalCSOs.

1Seecommitment9.


VIII.MethodologyandsourcesAsacomplementtothegovernment’sself-assessmentreport,well-respectedgovernanceresearchers,preferablyfromeachOGPparticipatingcountry,writeanindependentIRMassessmentreport.

ExpertresearchersuseacommonOGPindependentreportquestionnaireandguidelines,1basedonacombinationofinterviewswithlocalOGPstakeholdersaswellasdesk-basedanalysis.ThisreportissharedwithasmallInternationalExpertPanel(appointedbytheOGPSteeringCommittee)forpeerreviewtoensurethatthehigheststandardsofresearchandduediligencehavebeenapplied.

AnalysisofprogressonOGPactionplansisacombinationofinterviews,deskresearch,andfeedbackfromnongovernmentalstakeholdermeetings.TheIRMreportbuildsonthefindingsofthegovernment’sself-assessmentreportandanyotherassessmentsofprogressbycivilsociety,theprivatesector,orinternationalorganisations.

Eachlocalresearchercarriesoutstakeholdermeetingstoensureanaccurateportrayalofevents.Givenbudgetaryandcalendarconstraints,theIRMcannotconsultallinterestedoraffectedparties.Consequently,theIRMstrivesformethodologicaltransparency.Therefore,whenpossible,theIRMmakespublictheprocessofstakeholderengagementinresearch(detailedlaterinthissection).Innationalcontextswhereanonymityofinformants—governmentalornongovernmental—isrequired,theIRMreservestheabilitytoprotecttheanonymityofinformants.Additionally,becauseofthenecessarylimitationsofthemethod,theIRMstronglyencouragescommentaryonpublicdraftsofeachnationaldocument.

Generally,evaluatingNorway’scommitmentsinthisactionplanwashamperedbythevaguenessofcommitmentformulation.Descriptionsofactionsalreadytaken,orintentionsto“review”or“consider”activitieshavenotbeenaccompaniedbymeasurablebenchmarks,requiringasignificantamountofguessworkandinterpretationonthepartoftheIRMreviewers.Asaresult,muchofthecodingofthecommitments’specificity,ambition,andcompletionareopentodiscussion.TheIRMresearchersrecognisethisandhopethatmorespecificandmeasureablecommitmentswillallowformoredefinitiveevaluationsoffutureactionplans.

InterviewsandfocusgroupsEachnationalresearchercarriesoutatleastonepublicinformation-gatheringevent.Careistakenininvitingstakeholdersoutsideofthe“usualsuspects”listofinviteesalreadyparticipatinginexistingprocesses.Supplementarymeansmaybeneededtogathertheinputsofstakeholdersinamoremeaningfulway(e.g.onlinesurveys,writtenresponses,follow-upinterviews).Additionally,researchersperformspecificinterviewswithresponsibleagencieswhenthecommitmentsrequiremoreinformationthanprovidedintheself-assessmentreportorthanisaccessibleonline.

TheIRMresearcherswereunabletosolicitinterestforabroadpubliceventandinsteadprioritisedparticipationinmeetingsorganisedbytheNorwegianGovernmentandindividualinterviewsstakeholders.InMarch2015,theIRMresearcherscontactedgovernmentpointsforall25commitmentsandsecuredandexecuted13interviews.TheIRMresearchersalsoconductedinterviewswithfourCSOs,includingtheOGPCouncil,inthistimeperiod.InJune2015,theIRMresearchersconductedfollow-upinterviewswithmembersoftheOGPCouncil.

Thelistofintervieweesanddialoguemeetingsisasfollows:


InterviewwithDifi,12March2015

InterviewwithIKTNorge,12March2015

InterviewwithKS,13March2015

InterviewwithDifi,Ledelseogorganisering,17March2015

InterviewwithOGPCouncil,17April2014

InterviewwithKMD,AvdelingforIKTogFornying,18March2015

InterviewwithFinansdepartementet,avdelingforformueforvaltning,18March2015

InterviewwithJustis-ogBeredskapsdepartementet,18March2015

InterviewwithRiksarkivet,Avdelingforbevaringogtilsyn/Seksjonforelektroniskarkivdanning,18March2015

InterviewwithTransparencyInternational,19March2015

InterviewwithKMD,20March2015

DialogueMeetinghostedbyKMDon6June2013

MeetinghostedbyKMDon17April2014

Inadditiontotheseinterviews,theIRMresearchersalsoconsideredthefollowinginputtothedraftself-assessmentreport:

Kommunal-ogmoderniseringsdepartementet,AvdelingforIKTogfornying(AIF);Justis-ogberedskapsdepartementet(JD),AvdelingforLovavdelinga;DirektoratetforforvaltningogIKT,Avdelingfordigitalforvaltning;NationalArchives,Avdelingforbevaringogtilsyn/Seksjonforelektroniskarkivdanning;Helse-ogomsorgsdepartementet,Administrasjonsavdelingen;Utenriksdepartementet,AvdelingforKompetanseogRessurser,Seksjonfortilskuddsforvaltning;AgencyforPublicManagementandE-Government(Difi),AvdelingforDigitalforvaltning(DIG);MinistryofCulture,DepartmentofCivilSocietyandtheVoluntarySector;DirektoratetforforvaltningogIKT(Difi),AvdelingforLedelseogorganisering(LEO);Arbeids-ogsosialdepartementet,AvedelingforArbeidsmiljø-ogsikkerhetsavdelingen;Justis-ogberedskapsdepartementet,Politiavdelingen;NorwegianAssociationofLocalandRegionalAuthorities(KS);Finansdepartementet,Avdelingforformuesforvaltning(FIN);Utenriksdepartementet,AvdelingforKompetanseogRessurser,Seksjonfortilskuddsforvaltning;Utenriksdepartementet,Avdelingforøkonomiogutvikling;InputtoNorway'sSelf-AssessmentReportsubmittedbyFinansdepartementet,Finansmarkedsavdelingen;Kommunal-ogmoderniseringsdepartementet(tid.FAD),AvdelingforIKTogfornying

DocumentlibraryTheIRMusespubliclyaccessibleonlinelibrariesasarepositoryfortheinformationgatheredthroughoutthecourseoftheresearchprocess.Alltheoriginaldocuments,aswellasseveraldocumentscitedwithinthisreport,areavailableforviewingandcommentsintheonlinelibraryathttp://bit.ly/1ga0Oyt.

AbouttheIndependentReportingMechanismTheIRMisakeymeansbywhichgovernment,civilsociety,andtheprivatesectorcantrackgovernmentdevelopmentandimplementationofOGPactionplansonabi-annualbasis.ThedesignofresearchandqualitycontrolofsuchreportsiscarriedoutbytheInternational


Experts’Panel,comprisedofexpertsintransparency,participation,accountability,andsocialscienceresearchmethods.

ThecurrentmembershipoftheInternationalExperts’Panelis:

• AnuradhaJoshi

• DebbieBudlender

• ErnestoVelasco-Sánchez

• GerardoMunck

• HazelFeigenblatt

• HilleHinsberg

• JonathanFox

• LilianeCorrêadeOliveiraKlaus

• RosemaryMcGee

• YaminiAiyar

AsmallstaffbasedinWashington,D.C.shepherdsreportsthroughtheIRMprocessinclosecoordinationwiththeIRMresearchers.Questionsandcommentsaboutthisreportcanbedirectedtothestaffatirm@opengovpartnership.org.

1FullresearchguidancecanbefoundintheIRMProceduresManual,availableathttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/about/about-irm.


IX.EligibilityrequirementsInSeptember2012,OGPdecidedtobeginstronglyencouragingparticipatinggovernmentstoadoptambitiouscommitmentsinrelationtotheirperformancewithrespecttotheOGPeligibilitycriteria.TheOGPSupportUnitcollateseligibilitycriteriaonanannualbasis.Thesescoresarepresentedbelow.1Whenappropriate,theIRMreportswilldiscussthecontextsurroundingprogressorregressonspecificcriteriainthesectiononcountrycontext.

2011 Current Change Explanation

BudgetTransparency2 4 4 Nochange

4=Executive’sBudgetProposalandAuditReportpublished2=Oneoftwopublished0=Neitherpublished

AccesstoInformation3 4 4 Nochange

4=Accesstoinformation(ATI)Law3=ConstitutionalATIprovision1=DraftATIlaw0=NoATIlaw

AssetDeclaration4 4 4 Nochange

4=Assetdisclosurelaw,datapublic2=Assetdisclosurelaw,nopublicdata0=Nolaw

CitizenEngagement(Rawscore)

4(10.00)

5

4(10.00)6

Nochange

1>02>2.53>54>7.5

Total/Possible(Percent)

16/16(100%)

16/16(100%)

Nochange

75%ofpossiblepointstobeeligible

1Formoreinformation,seehttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/how-it-works/eligibility-criteria.2Formoreinformation,seeTable1inhttp://internationalbudget.org/what-we-do/open-budget-survey/.Forup-to-dateassessments,seehttp://www.obstracker.org/.3ThetwodatabasesusedareConstitutionalProvisions(www.right2info.org/constitutional-protections)andLawsandDraftLaws(http://www.right2info.org/access-to-information-laws).4SimeonDjankov,RafaelLaPorta,FlorencioLopez-de-Silanes,andAndreiShleifer,“DisclosurebyPoliticians,”(TuckSchoolofBusinessWorkingPaper2009-60,2009),http://bit.ly/19nDEfK;OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD),“TypesofInformationDecisionMakersAreRequiredtoFormallyDisclose,andLevelofTransparency,”inGovernmentataGlance2009,(France:OECDPublishing,2009),132,http://bit.ly/13vGtqS;RichardMessick,“IncomeandAssetDeclarations:GlobalExperienceofTheirImpactonCorruption”(paperpreparedfortheConferenceonEvidence-BasedAnti-CorruptionPolicyorganisedbyThailand’sNationalAnti-CorruptionCommission(NACC)incollaborationwiththeWorldBank,Bangkok,Thailand,5-6June2009),16,http://bit.ly/1cIokyf.Formorerecentinformation,seehttp://publicofficialsfinancialdisclosure.worldbank.org.In2014,theOGPSteeringCommitteeapprovedachangeintheassetdisclosuremeasurement.Theexistenceofalawanddefactopublicaccesstothedisclosedinformationreplacedtheoldmeasuresofdisclosurebypoliticiansanddisclosureofhigh-levelofficials.Foradditionalinformation,seetheguidancenoteon2014OGPEligibilityRequirementsathttp://bit.ly/1EjLJ4Y.5TheEconomist,DemocracyIndex2010:DemocracyinRetreat,bytheEconomistIntelligenceUnit(Report,London,2010),http://bit.ly/eLC1rE.6TheEconomist,DemocracyIndex2014:DemocracyanditsDiscontents,bytheEconomistIntelligenceUnit(Report,London,2014),http://bit.ly/18kEzCt.

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