World Bank: Chris Vein, the Obama Administration’s deputy chief technology officer, is moving to the World Bank as its chief innovation officer for global information and communications technology development.
United Kingdom: The Cabinet Office Dec. 13 announced the appointment of Paul Maltby as the new Director for Transparency and Open Data. “Paul will take up the role in January, when he will lead the strategic implementation of the Government’s Transparency and Open Data agenda. He will be responsible for delivering the UK’s commitments to openness, including as current lead chair of the Open Government Partnership.” He has worked previously in the Cabinet Office, the Home Office and, more recently, Leicestershire County Council.
Holiday Gift: South Africa’s Right2Know Campaign is selling a 2013 Whistle-blower Calendar. You can order your calendar by making a donation of at least R10 to cover postage costs. Make the donation via GivenGain and please include your postal address in the “Message” page.
FOI Tips: United Kingdom’s FOI Man website by Paul Gibbons publishes “FOI Man’s Ten Top Tips on Making Responsible and Effective FOI Requests.”
1. Count to ten before clicking ‘Send’
2. Do your research
3. Take care when making ‘round robin’ requests
4. Try an informal approach first if possible
5. Be specific
6. Don’t be greedy
7. Be polite
8. Be patient
9. Read the response carefully, and if necessary, use the Appeal process
10. Use the information you receive responsibly
Aid Transparency: “Media Content Research Report on Aid Transparency in Nepal,” a report produced and published by Freedom Forum in collaboration with AidInfo at Development Initiatives, UK.
Job: Publish What You Fund is seeking a Research Assistant to support research and monitoring activities focusing on donor transparency.
Saga: The American Journalism Review reports on journalist Seth Rosenfeld’s successful three-decade struggle to obtain hundreds of thousands of pages of FBI documents.
Viewpoint: Commentary by Global Integrity’s Nathaniel Heller on the new Making All Voices Count initiative.
Open Data: “Does open data make development more accountable? The case of Colombia,” by Craig Fagan, Senior Policy Coordinator at Transparency International.
Open Data: The Center for Technology in government at the University of Albany has released a white paper, The Dynamics of Opening Government Data, based on findings from a year-long research project, funded by SAP, to help organizations better understand the value generated through opening government data. The report features cases from two active open data initiatives and offers practical guidance for government managers. “The report features cases from two active open data initiatives, featuring street construction projects in the City of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, and the restaurant inspection process in New York City. Based on these cases, the report provides practical advice for government managers planning or actively engaged in opening government data initiatives.”
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