Can Transparency Prevent Trumpism?

Regeringskollen is a database that aims to promote democracy, transparency, and accountability by collecting government decisions and opposition proposals in a searchable database. Many decisions are made very quickly and fade from memory – we want to build collective memory and gather facts.

As citizens, we can grade a government every four years. But we often forget what they have done. Where has the government invested and where has it cut back, overall? What decisions have been made, for example, in democracy, culture, education, climate, and taxes? And what proposals has the opposition put forward in corresponding areas? Many decisions and proposals move forward despite criticism from referral bodies, experts, and civil society. A shift is taking place where experts’ competence is ignored and journalism is dismissed as politics. How does this affect democracy and opportunities for accountability? This seminar aims to highlight the work of collecting information on political proposals and decisions, the difficulties in finding the right information, and why transparency is important for a democratic society. Coffee and a vegetarian breakfast roll will be served.

Participants:

• Mattias Axell, chair, Open Knowledge Sweden
• Inger Aspåker, chair, Regeringskollen
• Kristofer Sjöholm, moderator, Senior digitalisation consultant at Sweco, former data journalist and election monitoring expert
• Anders Nordström, PhD in political science, Södertörn University
• Per Hasselberg, board member, Regeringskollen

More information at Regeringskollen and Almedalen Week.