While debt limit and health care reform provisions are at least being discussed in the media, it is the laws we can't see, that have never been debated in the open, that are the most dangerous threat.
If transparency is truly to promote accountability, then the public needs journalists to help discover, gather, compare, contextualize, and share the new information becoming available.
At the moment, Congress lacks the independent and objective analysis needed to fully assess Bernanke's performance, and therefore to make an informed judgment as to whether he deserves re-appointment.
On Monday night we posted Tyler Durden's breakdown of the SIGTARP audit of the AIG bailout. Will this report resurrect the Fed Audit movement now that...
In the debate over a new trade agreement on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, so far secrecy is winning.
There are two ways to invest: horses and zebras. Horses are obvious. Zebras are obscure. To my amazement, many investors choose to invest in zebras. Not me. I am in favor of horses.
It's always fun to see what politicians try to bury in fine print. Take, for example, the several hundred-page House Republican health care bill introduced by Mr. Boehner Of Ohio.
By Michael Grabell, Jennifer LaFleur, Amanda Michel and Christopher Flavelle, ProPublica. When the nearly $800 billion economic stimulus package pas...
One German participant summarized: "The IFC places all of the burden of environmental and social safeguards on the client ... The whole world is re-regulating and you should too."
Drama is playing out in Longmont, where campaign laws thought to prevent corruption by limiting expenditures and contributions is instead corrupting free speech.
Over decades, the rating agencies have imposed their sovereign ratings as the yardstick for investors in securities issued by "sovereign" issuers, i.e...
Okay, the deal is that we now have a federal government that wants to show you how things work, no interest in covering things up -- ultimately showing everyone how the sausage is made and where the money goes.
The first California Data Camp & DataSF App Contest will be held on November 7, 2009. The one day gathering is open to developers, journalists, co...
People are using the Net for civic purposes in increasing numbers for all sorts of useful stuff. Now, the City of San Francisco has a civic apps store.
Technology + Transparency = New Politics. In other words, technology allows for transparency which leads to a new kind of people-powered politics.
Three years ago, those using the Web for transparency likely registered around zero. But in the intervening years, Congress has adapted to the Internet at incredible speed.
Eight leading civic groups sent a letter to Gov. Paterson in support of legislation creating oversight for the MTA budget. Let's hope he listens.
Why is the Ethics Commission so concerned about having to operate in the public eye that it is considering going to the legislature to ask for a special exemption from the sunshine laws?
Government accountability requires campaign finance data disclosure in electronic, searchable, online form, easily accessed as a database. This is easily done using current Web tech.
Many elected officials have become proficient at using technology to thwart public access to government. Why not, instead, use technology to enhance transparency and accountability?
