show me the money

UKGov barcamp 09

3 points

• why transparency is important

• fedspending.org

• what’s happening in the uk

why do we need transparency?

(i) accountability

• government agencies

• elected officials

(ii) positive incentives

(iii) enables collaboration

• Government should be transparent. Transparency

promotes accountability and provides information for citizens

about what their Government is doing. Information maintained

by the Federal Government is a national asset. My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments and agencies should harness new technologies

to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public. Executive departments and agencies should

also solicit public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIESPresident Barack Obama

Some US organisations/sites enabling this

October 2006: OMB Watch setup FedSpending.org

2006 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act

Look familiar?

so, could we do it here?

Yes...

• June 2007. Government Spending (Website) Bill - Make provision for a website in order to enable public access to information

• Modeled on Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006

but no...

• The House of Commons vote among MPs did not reach the quorum of 40

but yes?

• Try to revitalize the Website spending bill?

• Try to gather the data ourselves?

• Where Does My Money Go (Show Us A Better Way Idea)?

• Start with the ‘bailout’?

TrdTThank you

links

• http://Fedspending.org - OMB Watch spending website

• http://USASpending.gov - Federal Spending website

• http://www.contractormisconduct.org/ - Federal contractor mistrust database

• https://www.fbo.gov/index?cck=1&au=&ck= - Contract for USASpending.gov

• http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Federal_Funding_Accountability_and_Transparency_Act

• http://Sunlightfoundation.com - Sunlight Foundation

• https://www.fpds.gov/ - Federal Procurement Data system

• http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2007-06-29&number=169 - UK Government Spending Website bill

• http://www.showusabetterway.co.uk/call/2008/07/where-does-my-2.html - Where does my money go

photo credits

• Initial Image - http://www.flickr.com/photos/stedanby/1102405383/

• Federal Funding and Accountability Act image - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:George_Bush_signs_the_Federal_Funding_Accountability_and_Transparency_Act_of_2006.jpg

• Emoticons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Smilies