A comprehensive approach towards the openness of the Prime Minister’s Office
In the digital age, open data and institutional transparency are integral indicators, not only of governing, but also of a functional democracy. The modernization of administration, improvements in education, health, justice, security, business, trade, agriculture, budget management, democracy, culture, scientific research, statistics, and so on, constitute the various benefits that e-government brings.
Such benefits are rapt only if systemic and strategic efforts take place. In this article various aspects of what makes the Prime Minister’s Office responsible in terms of openness, are presented. They include both internal initiatives with adopted policies, strategies and regulation on issues concerning institutional transparency and accountability, as well as aspects related to citizen’s engagement and accessibility to the work of the Office.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, is quite active on his social media, using Facebook and Twitter as platforms for sharing updated news about the activities of the Office. The active online presence of Prime Minister’s contributes to informing the public in general, and groups of stakeholders in particular, about recent developments. Online presence and engagement is not only an up-to-date approach, but also an effective one to communicate with the public and stay close to the wider community.
However, active and consistent engagement of the Prime Minister on its social media, is not the core indicator of the openness of the Prime Minister’s Office. A Prime Minister’s Office is ‘transparent’ if its organisational data, budgets, and public procurement processes are publicly accessible. It is ‘accessible’ if its policies are well-established, systematically improved in terms of accessibility through public discussions, and the promotion of citizen engagement. It has ‘integrity’ in terms of lobbying, code of ethics, and efforts to combat corruption. And lastly, a parliament is ‘aware’ if it focuses on observing and assessing policies implemented by institutions.
So says Open Data Kosovo which regularly monitors and annually assesses the work of open government in Kosovo through a methodology based on four guiding principles. The principles in question, transparency, accessibility, integrity and awareness, form the basis for assessing data sourced from the Regional Openness Index, a tool which measures the extent to which institutions of the Western Balkans are open to citizens and society.
One of the key indicators of an institution’s openness is access to public documents. Even though the Law on Access to Public Documents establishes a solid foundation for freedom of information, practical implementation remains deficient. In this respect, according to ODK, a system that tracks incoming requests and their status throughout the assessment period is necessary.
Another crucial aspect where improvement is needed within the Prime Minister’s Office is budget and procurement transparency. Currently, the semi-annual state budget report is not published on the official website. And neither are public procurement procedures. This hinders citizens, researchers, and businesses from using the data for analysis and decision-making. Therefore, the Office should prioritise the publication of open data sets related to its activities, budgets, and policies. Such decisions not only promote transparency and accessibility, but also encourages effective citizen engagement.
Ensuring transparent interaction between lobbyists and public officials is significant for safeguarding the public interest. Thus, to strengthen the implementation of the Law on Whistleblowers, the government should provide training programs for its officials. Topics like conflict of interest, anti-corruption measures, and whistleblowing procedures should be covered. Knowledge and skills on such topics will equip the officials with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively address irregularities and uphold ethical standards, ultimately bolstering the country’s governance framework.
Another key issue that particularly determines the progress of the Office of Prime Minister in terms of integrity, is the lack of published Code of Ethics and the lack of clear mechanisms for its implementation. Therefore, the Office of the Prime Minister should develop and enforce a robust code of ethics and train its staff on ethical behaviour, conflict of interest policies, and measures to prevent corruption.
Furthermore, one significant aspect in this respect if the fact that there is a Policy against Sexual Harassment in public administration bodies. While having the policy in place is important, it is necessary to state that considering the domination of patriarchal norms dominate both within institutions and the society at large, the quality of its implementation remains questionable. Therefore, systemic monitoring and evaluation reports on the implementation of the sexual harassment policy is even more important than simply having the policy in place.
The relationship of government-citizens within a given state is the mark of democratic policymaking processes. Currently, citizen’s engagement in this respect is not satisfactory. Research, with1306 citizens from diverse backgrounds conducted by ODK in collaboration with UBO Consulting, proved that only 35.7% of respondents believe they can make a positive contribution in Prime Minister’s Office initiatives. In addition, 37.9% of respondents claimed they slightly follow the work of the Prime Minister’s Office and only 6.3% stated that they greatly follow the work of the Prime Minister’s Office. Mechanisms to actively engage citizens in the work of the Prime Minister’s Office should therefore be taken more seriously into account.
Despite the stagnation on the above-mentioned aspects, throughout the years, general progress towards the openness of the Prime Minister’s Office has also been made. Except for the adoption of regulation and strategies such as the Minimum Standards for the Public Consultation Process, the Public Administration Reform Strategy 2022–2027Additionally, the Regulation the Criteria, Standards, and Procedures of Public Financing of NGOs, the government has provided actual digital solutions enabling citizens to address concerns and complaints, as well as receive the services available.
The provision of e-services through the state platform, e-Kosova, is a good example since it makes it easier for citizens to engage with administrative services. Even though the platform is promising in terms of further progress with more added services on various categories, it is currently limited in terms of the services available and as such, it doesn’t meet the various needs of citizens, particularly women, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable social groups.
Moreover, the Prime Minister’s Office can significantly improve in terms of transparency and accessibility to the public if it simply publishes regularly the agendas, minutes of meetings, and key documents related to policy decisions on its official website. If it prioritises the publication of open data sets related to its activities, budgets, and policies. If it establishes clear mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating its performance, including regular reporting on key performance indicators and outcomes.
Therefore, a comprehensive communication strategy to effectively communicate its policies, initiatives, and achievements to the public is a must. Regular press releases, online engagement, and public awareness campaigns could help address the various disadvantages the Prime Minister’s Office currently faces in terms of openness as an executive institution.
The work the Prime Minister’s Office invests internally, is just as critical when it comes to cultivating and promoting a culture and openness and accountability. Once transparency, accessibility, integrity, and ethics are internalised as core principles within the Office, its engagement and interaction with citizens and stakeholders will just as clearly reflect.
