Championing Government Transparency in Iran
Today we’d like to showcase some exciting new Iranian transparency initiatives that we highlighted in the latest edition of our monthly Filterwatch series monitoring internet freedom and related policy developments in Iran.
In July’s edition of Filterwatch we profiled a number of citizen-led open data and open government initiatives in Iran, and discussed how the growth of the internet and connectivity has made them possible. So without further ado, let’s take a look at how open data is beginning to create opportunities for transparency and public accountability in Iranian politics.
Out of the Shadows? Iran’s Record on Open Government
Iran isn’t exactly a world leader in the open data movement. Occupying rank #67 in the Global Open Data Index, there is much work to be done to haul the country into a position where it can take advantage of the economic and social opportunities of open data.
But despite Iran’s murky record, there are some signs of progress being made by authorities. On July 8, Iran’s ICT Minister Mahmood Vaezi unveiled Iran’s Portal for Free Access and Publication, which allows Iranians to submit freedom of information requests to state bodies.
There are also institutions in place to publish statistics from various government ministries, such as the Statistical Centre of Iran, although datasets are not always standardised, are rarely without inconsistencies, and frequently inaccessible. As noted by the Global Open Data Index, Iran fails to measure up on indicators of political openness, with election results, government expenditure, and numerous legislative measures still lacking in transparency.
Nonetheless, the launch of this new freedom of information portal by the ICT Ministry demonstrates that freedom of information is a concept that is penetrating the national discourse, and this comes in no small part thanks to the efforts of dedicated civil society actors inside Iran, who are pushing for greater transparency and public accountability in national politics.
Open Data Champions — Grassroots Data Initiatives in Iran
Grassroots efforts and campaigns do not only take policymakers by surprise, but they can also go unnoticed by policy analysts who are often all-too-focused on top-down policy changes. However, we think it’s important to take some time to shine the spotlight on some effective grassroots initiatives, and explain why they matter so much.
First off is Namasanj, an initiative seeking to hold elected representatives accountable by producing comparable data about their work in Iran’s Majles (the national parliament). The initiative uses publicly-available information to produce infographics assessing the actions representatives elected in the 2016 elections. The project mainly uses graphs to share its findings, and posts them to followers on Telegram and Twitter.
This visualisation uses the voting record of Tehrani MPs to map out their general position in the policy landscape. For example, Mostafa Kavakebian (top-right) is shown to be an active and staunchly reformist-voting politician, whereas Mohsen Alijani-Zamani (bottom-left) is comparatively conservative and inactive in the Majles.
In Iran, where there is extremely low level of transparency regarding the votes and participation of parliamentarians, Namasanj’s work has been successful at highlighting the lack of data on political processes available in Iran today.
The second initiative that we examined is Transparency for Iran. TfI is a collective that has produced — among other things — a number of high-quality educational courses and reports on open data and open government in Iran, comparing the current open data landscape to that of other countries. The site includes over 16 hours of original, on-demand video lectures about different aspects of open data and transparency.
A Transparency for Iran guide describing how the British Independent Parliamentary Standards Association regulates politicians’ pay and releases information about politicians’ expenses publicly.
Namasanj and Transparency for Iran are only two example of the growing grassroot networks and initiatives that are emerging in Iran. The reason we chose to highlight their work was that they demonstrated two things better than most other initiatives: firstly, they are working toward an achievable aim within the local rules and regulations, and without encountering any political tensions; and secondly, they have demonstrated high-quality outputs in delivering their short-term goals.
Other civil society-led open data initiatives exist that are actively supporting open data practitioners in Iran from outside the country’s borders. Iran Open Data was established in 2016 with the objective of creating a centralised open data hub for Iran that would host datasets in machine-readable formats, and make them freely available to civil society actors and journalists.
This project aims to address the challenges that arise from Iran’s publication of datasets across a disparate set of governmental websites, often in inaccessible .pdf or even image formats, and is an effective example of how civil society can work to address the shortcomings of government-led open data initiatives. Until the Iranian government undertakes a comprehensive review of its open data practices, grassroots efforts such as these will have to lead the push for transparency and accountability in Iran.
Iran Open Data is an open data platform to make Iranian public datasets accessible and freely available to researchers, journalists, and civil society.
The Path Ahead — The Future of Open Government in Iran
So what can be done to support the development of open government and rigorous data practices in Iran? Alongside civil society engagement, the establishment of international partnerships and greater cooperation at the global level will play a crucial role in opening Iran up further.
Currently neither the Iranian government nor Iranian civil society are represented in the Open Government Partnership (OGP). The OGP defines itself as a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.
Joining global initiatives such as the OPG would provide Iranian civil society and government with a set of global partners in their efforts to deliver open government, and help them to harness the potential of open data for the benefit of Iran’s citizens.
With Iranian grassroots activists crackling with energy and enthusiasm for open government, the Iranian authorities have a golden opportunity to prove their claims to be committed to open data, freedom of information, and open government. Their record on these issues must be measured by their willingness to collaborate with the enthusiastic and creative open data movement in Iran, which has so far proven to be well-equipped to initiate change and push for tangible reforms at the local and national level. Only if government and civil society are able to work together openly and effectively, will freedom of information and open government in Iran see progress in the months and years ahead.