Ep. 13 - Shining Light on Data - GovEx Data Points

The concepts of sunshine laws and open government have grown in prominence around the US in recent years. However, governments often have difficulty keeping up with changes and determining what works in terms of transparency and accountability. One of the oldest nonprofits focused on helping communities make sense of these shifts is the Sunlight Foundation. If you’re not familiar with Sunlight, it is a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for open government globally and uses technology to make government more accountable to all. The GovEx team also works closely with Sunlight on our What Works Cities engagements focused on open data. This week I had the chance to talk with Alex Howard from Sunlight to discuss how governments and communities can effectively and productively focus on transparency. At Sunlight, Alex is Senior Analyst focusing on advancing openness and accountability at all levels of government. Alex has also had an extensive career in data journalism and has a unique perspective on how government and communities can engage around data to build public trust. Like Data? Listen and Get in Touch You can find updates to the podcast in several ways. Look for us on iTunes as GovEx Data Points Find up-to-date episodes on our website at http://govex.jhu.edu/podcast Get in touch with us and let us know what you want to hear, suggest potential episodes, and give us feedback on how the podcast is going. You can contact us on Twitter at Gov_Ex or reach out via our website at govex.jhu.edu/contact.