Scholars look to increase research on open government

The practice of disclosing government data in a way that is meaningful to the public and holds the government accountable could become a growing area of scholarly interest, partly because the Obama administration's interest in the subject has made research funding easier to obtain, some academics said.

"It makes a huge difference when powerful people say they want to pursue something," said J.H. Snider, president of iSolon, a nonprofit institute focused on using information technology to bring about democratic reform. In an executive memo issued on his first day in office, President Obama committed himself to creating a government that uses technology to improve public disclosure, partnerships with the private sector and citizen participation. "Once you have a critical mass of people interested in something, then it attracts money," Snider said. "You get all sorts of money flowing from foundations." The body of work on the subject of using data to drive transparency is limited, however, making it difficult to write books, teach courses or conduct comparative research. Snider said a decade ago he applied for grant money to study e-Congress and was rejected. But the International Journal of Public Participation published an essay in January that Snider wrote titled "Deterring Fake Public Participation." The paper cites Obama's open government directive -- steps the White House outlined in December 2009 for agencies to carry out the president's commitment -- as a policy to be scrutinized for loopholes that could encourage disingenuous public engagement.