Open Government and Quality of Governance: Does OGP Make Any Difference?

Abstract

The question if the Open Government Partnership (OGP), launched in 2011, has any impact on policies and institutions in its member-states, remains open. Despite several case studies revealing modest achievements of OGP to improve governance, little research has been done so far to explore this puzzle in general, using statistical means. Addressing this gap, this pilot study analyzes the impact of OGP membership on the quality of governance. Using policy feedback theory and Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling (BSEM), we have discovered that OGP might have an indirect influence on the governance quality via the development of civic participation, government transparency and feedback mechanisms.